In case you haven't noticed, 2020 has been an unusual kind of year.
I, for one, am ready to be done with this whole "living through an historic event" thing. (Or is it "a historic event?" Does anyone really know?) I can't even begin to speak about the death toll, the economic cost, or the devastation to communities all over the world... I know it's kinda my thing to keep a healthy sense of humor in the face of life's most serious curve balls, but there is no good way to say it. This year has sucked. I hate quarantine. I hate Covid. I wish it was over already. I wish it had never happened in the first place. However, time is (as far as we know) still linear, which means we're going to have to just wait until things get better.
Sorry. I know that was a pretty heavy way to start things off. Here's a video of Fiona the baby hippo getting a bath and taking a nap.
Admittedly, it hasn't been nearly as bad for an introvert like myself. Having all of these industries suddenly adjust their business models to cater to the "shy weirdo recluse who never leaves his house" demographic has been pretty nice. Personally, I've never enjoyed eating inside of a restaurant. I never willingly went to bars or clubs or sports events or most crowded places. I've always wanted an excuse to keep strangers at least six feet away at all times. And now Blockbuster movies are skipping theatrical releases and going straight to streaming? Yes, please.
But there is one industry whose absence is giving me withdrawals. If you already read the title of this post, you know where I'm going with this.
Conventions!
I started 2020 with so much optimism. I was planning for this to be the year I put myself out there. I was planning a book tour. I was going to have booths at few conventions. I was going to start interacting with my audience and fellow fans of horror and literature. Sadly, all of that is going to have to wait...
*(dramatic pause)*
...or is it?
I'm happy to report that nothing is going to stop the horror community from geeking out. And some brilliant minds have already begun adapting. Life finds a way, y'all.
This October, we will see the first ever virtual horror convention, HorrorConVR. And I will be there in person* as a guest. So you can drop by, and we can talk about "Tales," or Fiona the hippo, or anything else you want. (Except for Fenn's treasure. I'm still sore that someone else found it before me.) The convention is still a few months away, so expect to hear more as time gets closer.
But wait, what the heck is a virtual convention?
It's just like a real convention, except all of us are controlling avatars from the safety of our own homes. It will be hosted by VRchat, which is a free program. The convention will also be free. Everything is free.
You can, if you want and are able to, wear a virtual reality headset to immerse yourself in the experience. Or, if you're like me and don't own a VR headset, you can use any computer. All you need is an internet connection and a pair of headphones!
(And, you know, if you wanted to go to the afterparty at the VR gas station, that's totally cool, too.)
Hope to see you all there.
-Jack