Glompfest

Searing sunrays baked the expanse of cement and the surrounding buildings. Up on the Hill, the giant leafy tree shielded the many people sitting under it, giving them mercy offered by the rare breeze. It was the second week of a massive heatwave that was literally broiling everything everywhere. It was around 100 Fahrenheit out. It was hotter than 110*F or more if you were in the Sunlight or standing on cement. which was covered by a hotter air mass than grass.

But here, at the "Hill," more than a hundred people gathered, pulled together by a force so strong that the broiling heat could not disperse the crowd. They all formed a circle covering the entire cement court, cheered on by spectators sitting on the Hill and in the tree covered area on the other side. Plastic bottles were scattered about, constantly being kicked and spun before eventually being crushed. An empty Coke bottle was kicked at it's base and scattered before become still once more. The cosplayer stood triumphantly over the bottle and made sure her target lined up with the drinking end of the bottle. Then she charged. The large pink Lolita dress didn't stop her. She ran, arms open, ready for embrace and slammed full force into her fellow otaku and held on tight. The other managed to hold his ground as the two spun each other around. After seven seconds, the two separated, and the other rushed into the center looking for a bottle to kick.

The cycle repeated for hours on end, despite the fact that the Sun angled over the sky, searing the Hill in its heat; and the Tree, unable to protect its root land and occupants from the giver of its life. On the other side, where the trees sheltered many otaku and spectators from the light, someone had set up a large stereo and blasted dance dance revolution tunes to fuel the ongoing glomp fest. To glomp meant to tackle and hug someone in a loving way, and the very act had been a major component of anime convention culture.

The game itself temporarily disabled the contextual barriers and social rules that otherwise would have enforced the behavior of ignorance, indifference, silence, and non interaction that goes on the harsh climate we call society. And it allowed for the free flow of affection and mild love among the participants and spectators; washing away their worries and anxieties. The chemicals in the body triggered by the glomp game provided for a drug-free euphoria. And that empowered many even in this heat.

Not all wore costumes as per the social prerequisite to even interact with people at the convention, and the glomp game provided a temporary haven for them. Young men and women engaged in the game. It was initiated and driven by the females, as if it was just guys, the awkwardness of constantly hugging other guys would kill the game. That was a crucial rule played by girls in the glomp game. Even those who lacked social skills or confidence and appeared to be creeps were eased by the emotional warmth and were temporarily enabled to open up and be seen for a rare time as good people, you or me; regardless their day to day lives.

In the distance, con staff watched at the ready, waiting to send in first aid people in event of injury.

The Sun beat down on Rann; its heat instantly absorbed by his costume and hat. He stood in the circle staring aimlessly, watching the light shimmer over the cement. He felt completely sapped of energy. He had been here for three hours, and was roasting under his costume. He hated himself for paying $80 for a costume, but even with all this heat, he knew it was worth it, and wore it like a uniform. He was dressed as Kisuke "Hat & Clogs" Urahara, a character from the Japanese anime Bleach. He never even watched Bleach, and couldn't remember the very name of the character he was dressed as. Before, he feared that he would be crucified for the grave offence of dressing as an anime character and not knowing how to talk, act, or pose like it. Kisuke's lazy, and so Rann standing there like a half-asleep zombie seemed to fit well. Luckily for him, no one really asked. The worst Rann got in terms of flack was somebody grabbing the rim of his green-white striped hat and yanking it down so all he could see was four feet of ground in front of him.

The heat from the ground seemed to burn his feet through his skate shoes, and he kept shuffling in a half-assed attempt to keep off the heat. Others ran to the circle from the center, hugged those their bottles pointed to and then ran for the tree-covered areas for a break. Rann knew he should take a break, and go get some water, but...this game was too damn addicting, even more so than most video games he played. He had no idea why, or that he was even high on the euphoria that flooded him when he was first pulled into this earlier today. He did not want to leave. At first, it was too much, well being crash-tackled all day, but then he was hooked and couldn't break away from the affection.

Rann, a typical anxious, harmless weirdo and lonely social outcast was used to the silence, and the looks of death he got if he looked at others. He was never able to identify when the context allowed for him to speak, or join anywhere in anything, even if it was a common interest or event. The last few days he walked around the convention scared to death; wanting to greet others but quickly shutting down or retreating to avoid drawing anger from others. Early this morning, he was walking through the dealers' room when a girl in a sparkling lolita dress shouted, "Hello!" in his direction. Totally surprised, he eagerly responded when someone rushed past him and hugged her. Then the girl's boyfriend, huge tall guy in some anime uniform gazed down on him. Rann quickly stepped away and pretended to be distracted by all the craploads of merchandise on display.

Now he was here in the glomp game circle, watching, and fighting off the guilt trip that threatened to destroy him. He already felt guilty for wanting to hug, much less touch girls. Not in any sexual way of course; he already figured out that the act of a glomp was not at all sexual. It was the act of lovingly and dramatically attacking another with a flying leap and a hug/tackle. A few girls glomped him already and he walked up and hugged others and felt no arousal at all, which was good. But he still felt like a dirty creep for coming here to seek the affectionate and physical contact from the opposite sex. But wasn't that the point of the game?

Rann noticed an older man, about 40, standing near him hugging a cute girl, probably a minor, and Rann was afraid he'd end up 40 years old, desperate for hugs. He cringed at the thought and guilt. It was as if coming to this glomp game was like getting a quick fix of affection to feed an addiction- that's how Rann thought about it. He had no girlfriend, and his dating experiences had been nothing more than disaster. And the guilt surge was fed by a thought of how things like this glomp game would cause men to become pedophiles, or other kinds of creeps who would desire the innocence of youth they had lost and crave it like a drug. That thought corresponded with the thought that this game would change people's sexual preferences- as in guys turning bi or gay.

And he felt even guiltier when a little preteen shrimp dressed up as a Mudkip ran up and leaped on him, wrapping her arms around him tight. Somewhat like guilt, as soon as she glomped him, he felt a rush of warmth and affection that splashed onto his guilt plagued heart. The mixture of incoming affection and guilt wrenched him a bit. He embraced her back, smiled, then quickly let her go and walked into the middle looking for a bottle to kick.

He spun a Sprite bottle with his foot and watch it tumble and spin until it pointed to some other guy. He walked up, shrugged with an awkward smile, and the other guy just clamped his arms around him and squeezed him in a bear hug before putting him down.
A big smile on his face, the other guy rushed into the middle. And for some reason, Rann got that same rush of innocent hug-based energy.
He noted that the 40 year old guy left.

That guy probably just needed a hug. At least he's gone. Well, Rann thought, everyone needs hugs. He watched the others glomp one another freely- as if even gravity could not weigh them down, much less morals or guilt. It was exactly that, just a big glompfest, and at the anime convention this was normal.

Rann felt like he was zoning out, and tried not to. He adjusted his hat, then looked up and saw a bottle point in his direction. He looked up and saw this beautiful girl striding towards him. She was dressed in a white costume and long hair that made her look like an angel. Just seeing her before struck him in awe.

"Hi, friend!" she said as she slammed into him and wrapped her arms around him tight. The momentum caused them to twirl around a bit. All the positive energy coming from her radiated through him. It flushed away the guilt and fears and cleared away his confusion he had about the game. Now he knew it was purely a glomp game, nothing more, nothing less. Like a reflex, he hugged her tight and felt her rest her head against his. The moment seemed to last a long time, and he wanted it to last, but knew he had to let go.

"This game's awesome," he chuckled; finally refreshed.
"I know, isn't it?" the girl replied, "You give good hugs."
"I have no idea why, but I don't wanna leave, I want to stay here."
"Hey, it's because we're all hugging, and sharing the love." She spoke in his ear.
"Allright, now go get 'em!" she said, letting go and lightly pushing him in the direction of the bottles.

Refreshed and giddy with good feelings in his heart, Rann eagerly walked towards a bottle and kicked it lightly. It pointed to another girl, and he dared to run and glomp her. They both laughed and she ran off to hug someone else.

Even getting glomped by guys didn't seem so bad now, it was pretty much the same as hugging girls. Of course a bottle he kicked pointed to a tall guy in a samurai robe, then he changed paths and hugged the girl standing next to him.

"Sorry about that-"
"No problem. Girls come first!" the guy laughed.

Rann couldn't believe it. He was finally free of guilt, and anxiety and he had escaped his fears and trusted everyone here. He was also free of any hormones that would have made him feel aroused- that he was glad of. Everyone was in some sort of euphoria, and good times were being had.

Either that, or I'm high as ### right now. He thought. Maybe it could have been from some girls' pheromones that caused him to feel good in the heart. And this game was addicting, and he never wanted to leave.

The girl in the white dress glomped him again, and held onto him. He got more jolts of good energy when he glomped (and was glomped by) others but when this girl hugged him; pressed up against eachother, her arms around his neck, and her beautiful face and hair resting on his shoulder- his arms around her back, his chin resting on her shoulder- it just delivered another surge of warmth that radiated though him and back to her and he knew instinctively he had opened up to her and was projecting his own positive energy into her and some of it bounced back to him but even stronger.

He knew she was tired and so was he, and it felt good to rest his head on her shoulder, even for a few seconds. Then they let go and he was off. He felt he had a crush on her, and at times he cheated (by ignoring where the bottle pointed or just moving it on purpose) just so he could hug her again.

"Hey, you really like giving me hugs, don't you?"
"It was the bottle I swear," he said with a blushing smile on his face, but he figured she knew.

No way would Rann spoil the moment with this girl or any other girls by pushing any boundaries. He sure as hell wouldn't kiss them or do anything else. The most he wanted to do was know their names and give them his. But that was it. The glomp game was under the guise of anonymity, people knew each other by nicknames. Possibly even the normal social rules thought not to exist here and now prevented people from talking and learning about each other, as awkward moments could have arisen and lead to further things. He figured this simple human affection- free of all awkward moments (like in dating), was what everyone needed, including the older guy who was here, then left. He figured he just needed a few hugs just for that boost.

The anime convention was exactly like a huge playground where everyone was a kid and played games such as live action roleplaying (larping), cosplaying (acting like characters they dressed as), watching movies together, or playing the glomp game. There was no room for the serious stuff on 'who are you, what is your life'.

We're all like kids playing together. This is awesome. Rann thought as he beamed with love. He played the glomp game for hours on end, and when the group finally dispersed at 11pm, the good feelings stayed with him, and he kept running the thoughts and memories in his brain. He worried if this would make him an addicted creep earlier but that girl assured him through her hugs that he was not at all a creep, and that assurance he really needed. Everyone, especially that girl, assured him that everything was alright, and that he was a good person who deserved affection as much as they do.

And when he felt down later, he would cherish and re-play these memories in his brain.