Geeky traditions are a wonderful sort of nonsense, and being within the criteria for geek-hood myself I am quite subject to participating in at least a few of them.

But this entry isn’t about my horrible attempts of taking part in “Talk like a pirate day” nor about my occasional habit of suddenly wanting to do anything I watch an anime/manga about (I thank the heavens I am yet to find an anime about golf or fishing as I find suicide more entertaining – and gentle – than either of those), it’s about pudding.

No not really…..I just haven’t made a joke about pudding in a really long time and I…I kinda thought you all might miss it or something. Considering you are probably within the “or something” demographic though (which might translate to “Just bloody well get on with it already you textual diahretic”) I think it’s best to say what this entry (and my previously mentioned geekiosity) is really about.

Rage. Not the aggressive angry grunt grunt snort sort but the local 3 day gaming expo/lan that happens once a year here. I’ve attended Rage each year since its birth about 6 years ago and even went as far as to chronicle THE ENTIRE EVENT (minute by minute) on this site 3 years ago. I’d rather not recall that chronicle though as it did involve me meeting a fellow I dubbed “Talky” who made chewing glass seem more fun than being within a 2000ft radius of his vocal chords.

This year I wasn’t alone though, 2 friends and one Hardgay enthusiast joined me on my epic quest. One of them did struggle a bit to blend in with the overwhelming virgin aura permeating the general vicinity but the experience he gained during the occasional spells of hanging out with me (as I am THE OMNI-VIRGIN) seemed to help once he was given enough time.

Pleasingly there wasn’t a talky this time around (while I don’t mind chatting with friendly people, I must remind you talky spoke continuously for 2 days – pausing only clean his gills) but there was a far more………………….dangerous opponent. The Hardgay enthusiast (who I admitingly introduced to hardgay at last year’s rage – thus even ushering in a HARDGAY GANG at his school due to my hip thrusting influence) had a friend who approached me asking for some anime and of course I was willing to share…..but following this he then proceeded to not only explain an entire unrelated anime series to me but also to threaten to kill me when I commented (positively I might add) on what he had just said.

Usually I don’t take death threats seriously, especially when they come from someone at Rage, but this lad possessed a set of teeth that could chew through brick walls.

I guarded myself with a comically large box of dental floss for the next several hours and when asked by passerbyers what it’s reason for being was I looked coldly into their eyes, let a narrow stream of sweat slip from my brow and muttered under my breath “If you were allergic to toilet paper too then you wouldn’t ask such embarrassing questions”.

That being said the bathroom at Rage cleared out pretty quick and mysteriously for me after that.