Get out of my head! 
Except I think I’m gonna go with the 19th c. frock coat instead of the leather. And there’s nothing “little” about the amount of eyeliner I’m going to be wearing. I’m gonna put it on with a trowel.
What you said. I think this is the plan: to be the person I want to meet; find the folks who look as awkward as I feel and try to put them at ease. Helping others have a good time seems easier (and more, um, noble) than just focusing on trying to have fun myself.
Instead of participating in the feeding frenzy around the prettiest girls, which would be my other instinct. 
Understood. It’s not officially a Vampire: The Masquerade party, though I imagine some of those folks will show up. (I played that game once for a article I was doing for the local weekly, so I know what you’re talking about. )
This is more Portland’s annual goth blowout; the vampire folks will be there along with the goths, Edwardians, steampunk kids, etc.
It’s a big organized thing; about 800 people at a rented hall.
I think one of things I’ll do will be to bring a needle and thread in case some costumes need fixing*, a tube of my patented homemade gore, and extra makeup and glitter.
*Out of the goodness of my heart, not in hopes of hot upskirt action. Really. I swear.
I’ll bite: why not?
By the way, this is awesome. Thank you all so much for helping. The party is (as of midnight) tonight. Want me to come back and tell y’all how it went?
Yes, please do. I’ve wondered about that particular party before and wondered what it’s like. Is it really worth thirty freakin dollars to get into?
Vampire walks into a tavern one evening, asks for a glass of blood. The cook picks up some meat that’s been thawing & squeezes it into a glass. Vampire drinks it, pays his tab & leaves.
This happens every night for several weeks.
Finally one evening he walks in & tells the waitress he just wants a cup of hot water. She’s puzzled but brings it to him.
He pulls a used tampon out of his pocket and says “Tea time!”
I’d pay to hear THIS group! I’ve never heard them until now!
Chimera, I was thinking about a keg-tap on the throat also. Ever see the 1970s VAULT OF HORROR movie?
:rolleyes:
Wear a nice, tasteful crucifix.
Thanks to everyone who responded. In the event, my friends turned out not to be nearly as ditchy as they’d led me to believe, and stayed pretty close the whole night. (This may have had something to do with the fact that 4-people-who-totally-weren’t-us all ended up, um, rolling. Ahem.)
I hadn’t expected that, and it’s not something I’m likely to do again, but it was pretty fun and rather obviated the necessity of chatting up strangers. And yes, we were discreet and not all gross and back-rub-y about it. :rolleyes:
And to EvilTOJ: The party is definitely worth $20. I don’t know if it’s worth $30. The best part was the costumes on the other guests; people really go all out, from Renaissance wear to Victorian to goth to just crazy. I have never seen more cleavage in my life, although I’m told I’d see about the same amount at a Renaissance Fair. There was a chocolate fountain, which you don’t see every day.
The music was… a little weak. I was hoping for something a little more dancey and less, um, Enya. There was an avant-garde theater performance at 1am that was really cool but way too long, and kind of killed any opportunity to start a dance party, unless one started after we left at 2.
There was a sort of vendor room downstairs where people were selling various types of goth merchandise, and there was a DJ down there too. Her music was actually way better, and we four danced to her for a little while, even though no one else was dancing. She appreciated it, especially when we told her we wished she was DJing the main room.
So that’s my story. I didn’t overcome my fear of strangers, but then again I didn’t have to. The battle is over; the war goes on.