Shyness

[hawkida]

I'm not shy. I just rarely have anything to say to people I don't already know and know how awkward that can make the atmosphere as everyone feels like *someone* should be saying something. So I avoid such situations for the most part, largely avoiding strangers. Manners also preclude some interaction.

One of the most fun things about my larp character is she has barely any understanding of social graces and will walk up to anybody and ask direct questions like "Who are you and what do you want?". The sort of stuff you have to sugar coat to a degree in real life. She'll tell people their hat looks stupid and that she's BORED and get away with it. It's somewhat liberating.

I also like to offer signal rather than noise. So while I don't have heroes I have people I admire massively - Neil Gaiman, Mitch Benn, Gunther Von Haagen and so on. But stick me in a room with them, where all I have to offer as an opening gambit is "I really like your work" and I'm just not going to say it, I'm going to keep a respectful distance and appear too shy to talk to them. Similarly, if everyone else seems really informed on a subject, I'm just going to listen and see where the conversation goes.

But actually shy? Nah...

Comments

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Which is why I'd rather be around you than someone who thinks it's OK to behave like a rude idiot because that's their "coping mechanism".

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

They stabbed me, blood came out... find out later what it all means, along with the ecg.

[hnpcc]

But stick me in a room with them, where all I have to offer as an opening gambit is "I really like your work" and I'm just not going to say it, I'm going to keep a respectful distance and appear too shy to talk to them.

Same. I always think "God they're going to have heard this question a billion times before" and don't ask. Unless it's really left field, in which case I might.