So this year at the con I thought I would bring a jambox or ipod dock and play music while I walk around. Maybe it's the fact that I am one of those weird people that thinks they need a soundtrack to their life, but I'm pretty sure it's just because I'm a poorly-adjusted social miscreant. Sure, I could just walk up to a person with a neat costume, compliment them on it, and start a discussion, but why do that when I could sit in the lobby, completely silent, with a boombox playing the Starfox soundtrack, hoping someone will come up and talk to me?
Yes, I know that people love to talk about their costumes (how they decided on it, how they built it, difficulties encountered, so on and so forth) and I know that generally everyone is in an open and inviting mood during a convention, which means that making friends with strangers is super easy. I know that I can tell I have similar interests with someone just by looking at what they are wearing, which could allow for an immediate connection. But, as I said before, that's just not how I do things.
No no, at this years convention I will find you and your friends having a lively conversation in a public area, and I will join you. I won't introduce myself or say hi, though. I will probably just sit down somewhere near you, and turn my jambox up a little bit. Certainly you'll think I'm interesting and quirky, and you will want to talk to me and be my friend. Just so you know, I will not make the first move. The onus is on you to reach out and contact me, because I will just sit there like lumpy waste of oxygen, glaring about the lobby moodily, ignoring your stares and annoyed glances.
And even though you're thinking that you're too polite to ask me to turn my jambox down, or at least put on some earphones if all I want is to listen to music, but really you're thinking that I would make a great friend. You're thinking that I am clever, creative, and spunky. Boy do you want to be friends with me because I am forcing you to listen to my crappy music. And even though I am perfectly silent, introverted, and I look crabby as hell, I'm sure you'll reach out and we can be best friends forever.
Or at the very least you will tell me to turn my music off, in which case you will have given me just enough human contact to sustain my pathetic dweeb heart until the next convention.
