New Relationship Woes

[ladysprite]

I've been with these people for over a month now. We've seen each other more days than not, gossiped together, shared jokes and secrets and advice and opinions. I've done my best to encourage bonding over common interests, and to convince them that, while I'm slightly kooky and outside the mainstream, I really am a sane and likeable person. But eventually, in all relationships, the Scary Point comes. My coworkers are realizing that I'm a Fannish SCAdian Roleplaying SF Geek.

I thought I could be subtle about it at first - it's easy to pass Arisia off as a 'gathering of friends,' or a vague reunion-like event. And I avoided going into detail on my weekly dance classes; just mentioning that I do historic dance is usually enough to convince anyone to change the subject. The only person even vaguely interested was the office Ren Faire junkie, and she was appeased with a response of 'Yeah, kinda like that.'

But it infiltrates my life at all levels, and eventually it's not possible to continue hiding, especially for someone like myself who breaks out in hives at the thought of actually lying. Questions about how I met my husband eventually push to the revelation that he was the GM for my first AD&D game in college. The paperbacks in my purse always manage to have unicorns or werewolves on the covers. And I can't help but enthuse about my latest foray into teaching dance for the Greatest Commedia dell'Arte Troupe in the Entire World.

Unfortunately, while my quirkiness has been tolerated and even occasionally seen as charming in other workplaces, I think they're going to take a little while to get used to it here. Flat stares, tiny smirks, and the eternally annoying question of, 'So, like, do you, like, dress up? In, like, costumes, and stuff?' delivered in the same tone that one might ask a person if they had sex with household appliances were the majority of my experience yesterday when it slipped out in chatting that I do historic reenactment.

I think they'll learn to handle it. But something tells me that I should keep the live-action roleplaying and late-night trips to Man Ray under my hat for now....

Comments

[freyja.livejournal.com]

i'm not really SCA or anything, but we have some, *ahem* quirky people here... i just... can't see the snarkiness about it where i've worked, which i thought was what ladysprite was implying. at angell i sort of feel like everyone is extended family and we all just sort of deal with each other.

and i mean, hello, massachusetts area, tons of ren faires all the time? i just can't see people not making the leap.

[siderea]

and i mean, hello, massachusetts area, tons of ren faires all the time? i just can't see people not making the leap.

*shrug* And yet, obviously, they exist. I've certainly met plenty. I benefit from the fact that in my environment, you can get graded down for being insufficiently accepting. :)