Where's the Shower?

I was in Isle of Conquest, having snuck up from the Quarry to the Hangar, when it happened.

The Horde had taken the Hangar and left, leaving a lone undergeared Hunter to guard the place.  By the time I'd arrived, a Worgen Feral Druid was circling his prey, waiting for an extra body to strike.  I closed and we struck, wiping out the Hunter.

As I captured the Hangar, the Druid whispered, "Can I ask you something?"

It's not the first time I'd gotten whispers like that, so I barely batted an eye.  "Sure."

"Can I have a touch?"

That wasn't what I expected.  Well, whatever I was expecting, it wasn't that.  Surely I was reading the wrong thing into that whisper.  "Um, what?"

"We're too undergeared to do anything, so why don't you pop out them titties and we can have some fun?"

No, that was exactly what he was thinking.

I snorted, both in-game and out of game.  "We can have some fun" really meant "I want a cheap thrill playing with the virtual breasts of a stranger."

Really?  We're in the middle of a battleground, we're actually in the process of capturing a base, and THIS is all you can think about?

I was about to say "You DO realize that I MIGHT be a guy," but stopped.  For this person, it probably wouldn't even matter, and it might actually encourage him further.

Before I could say a simple and blunt "No," he was jumped from behind by two Horde.

I crept away, leaving him to his fate.  Never had I been happier to see a Warrior and DK combo in my life.

***

I've been playing MMOs for almost four years now with a mix of male and female toons, and that was the first time I'd been propositioned like that.  My male Blood Elf bank alt had been wolf whistled at by female toons when he made the journey to Silvermoon, but this was something else entirely.

My first reaction to that encounter --aside from revulsion-- was bewilderment.  How on earth could that person think such a crude come-on would work?  His toon isn't in a position of power over mine, so what made him think he could attempt to dominate me like that?

Oh wait.  Real life.

We all bring our experiences to the table when we login to an MMO, whether we like it or not.  Some people take advantage of the anonymity that an MMO provides and use it to satisfy their own sexual urges.*    Just like how some people take advantage of Trade Chat to spew racist and sexist crap, others just wait for situations like this.  If you're on the receiving end of it, you simply can't win, either.  If you refuse, you're an uptight bitch who won't loosen up; if you report you're a crazy bitch who can't take a joke; if you say nothing that's tacit approval.

Four years without being harassed like this in-game is a fairly long time, but for my mind, not long enough.  My only regret was was that I didn't take down the toon's name so I could report him.  I know kids who play MMOs, and the last thing they need is an encounter like that one.




*In a mutually agreed situation, that can (probably) work out fine, but this was anything but that.