These were, however, college students, which meant there was a prolicivity for booze. It was booze-a-riffic, in fact. Among the highlights of the trip were driving up in a car with a mal-functioning CD player which went skip-a-riffic at the slightest perturbation in the roads. Gosh-wow. What utter joy and rapture.
And there was the Artist's Alley, which featured the usual good stuff, plus an assortment of "interesting" items (like one volume whose title simply proclaimed "Smut!"). And there was the traditional "get all the otaku together and go out to a Japanese restaurant, possibly conquering a small portion of it". And then there was the Quest For Booze.
BoozeQuest came about because, well, there was a distinct booze-need. The booze-less masses required the joyful liquid of life to lubricate their social contacts. And, well, what's a party without people getting drunk off their butts? And so, those of us who were of the old and surly persuasion set off in search of booze. It was a long and mighty quest through the wilds of Raleigh, before we located the Supermarket of Doom and purloined the Beer of the East. And then, the hard liquor. This was a bit more tricky, we actually had to ask someone for directions. And even then, it was only my Carolinian knowledge that the Booze-O-Rama in North Carolina is called the "ABC Package Store" instead of something more appropriate, like "Mike's Drive-Thru Beer Barn", that saved the day. There, in that hallowed place, we discovered such wonders as "The Original Fire Water" and something vaguely Scotch-like.
But "The Original Fire Water" takes the cake, with its firey logo, pretentious labelling, and long screed about how it had been passed down from warrior monk to warrior monk since the Dark Ages. Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt.
There were also far too many people playing "Pokemon, the CCG" in the hallways. Wargh! Shoo, you little brats! People need to walk here! Mutter, mutter.
The chief oddity for this Con, though, was Pope Hentai the Demented. With his Papal hat, 'H' logos, giant gold 'H' on a chain, and general perverted demeanor, who could doubt but that Pope Hentai was a true otaku? Hentai-riffic!
Next episode: Otakon '99.
Rant 'o the day contains no additives, preservatives or small woodland creatures of any kind. Use only as directed. Do not expose to direct sunlight. Do not fold, spindle, multilate or remove identifying tags. Handle with care. Contains less than 3% milk fat by weight, not by volume. Squeeze the lemon.
THIS SPACE FOR RENT