Sorry about this, peeps- this looks like a full-on rant coming up.... (Gotta get this out of my system, though..)

You know the type, they hang around the computer games store, the DVD shop and the RPG shop, waiting for someone to come in and browse. You can easily spot them- the slightly vacant stare, spotty complexion, the dribbling... *shudders* I could go on. They see you come in to have a browse around the store, and something in the back of what passes for their mind clicks into place, and says: Someone new! I wonder if they will be friends with me??!

They're quite easy to spot- in the Games Workshop stores, they actually employ 'em as STAFF!!?!?!?!

I only say this, as a seemingly nice shopping day with Mrs V was almost ruined when one of these creatures pounced. We were in HMV in Oxford Street, browsing the DVD racks in search of new films and stuff to watch, and we wandered over to the Cult TV section. I was quite innocently looking through the old Dr Who episodes, and pleasantly surprised to find that the Beeb has re-edited the old series to include modern CGI SFX to make them stand up alongside the new material. We were deciding which stories to purchase- I think it was a decision between 'Resurrection of the Daleks' and 'Earthshock', when the aforesaid spotty youth shambled in my direction and began, quite without invitation, to speak to me.

Mrs. V. was onto him like a shot, and fled to the films section to begin looking for more stuff, but the loon wouldn't take the hint- he kept on talking about the new series, the Christmas special, and anything that popped into his head. Now, I'm unfortunately one of those people that's too polite to tell someone to buzz off, so while my brain is screaming at me to GET AWAY! RUN AWAY AT ALL COSTS!! my face, to my eternal embarassment, is politely saying to him 'yes, I rather enjoyed the Christmas Special!' It took me the best part of five minutes to shake him off before he realised that, unlike him, I had a female partner, and I would very much like to leave his company and get back to her.

Needless to say, I was unable to go NEAR the Dr Who section because he was there, and I'm always unable to browse the shelves at Games Workshop for new figures, because the same kind of guy- this time in a GW UNIFORM, will somehow latch onto me and proceed to tell me, in graphic detail, how great it is to play Warhammer 40K, and how he was able to paint a full set of Eldar Stormtroopers and capture the Space Ork's compound during tha course of an afternoon- all this while desperately trying to control his dribbling!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhh!

*pant, pant, pant* That felt good. *Braces himself*

So, this is a general plea to all people like this- PLEASE- GET A GRIP ON REALITY- you're giving our hobby a bad name!! Don't you realise that people who aren't into Fantasy and SF think we're ALL like you?!! We aren't at all!

1. Many of us have partners, and are in stable relationships.
2. We can't speak Klingon, Elvish or any other made-up language fluently, unless we drop a heavy object on our toes.
3. We may like fantasy or science fiction, but not because we don't fit in with *real* people- and we can certainly get by in the real world without having to dress up in a Starfleet uniform, or give everyone the Vulcan salute.
4. We can actually handle reality!!


Sorry, I had to get this off my chest- it's been plaguing me for a while now, and recent events only further reinforced my view. Do any of you come across these kinds of people, or is it just me? If you do, how do they make you feel about other peoples' perceptions of your hobby? What's the best way of dealing with them??

Oh you poor thing! You are too polite that is your problem

Me, I have no trouble getting rid of strange beings as I have cultivated the dirtiest of dirty looks Guaranteed to penetrate through the strongest 'ignorance' barrier and send people fleeing.

And the good thing is, you don't even have to speak to them!

I'm glad it made you laugh! Looking back on it, I suppose it is quite funny- it just amazes me that there's so many of 'em!

Well they've got to have somewhere to lurk when they aren't in their rooms

'Tis true- I'll have to get rid of the invisible neon sign over my head that they all seem to spot, and learn to be a bit more unapproachable!

Yes, you need to look like this --->

rrrrrreally? I've never seen one, much less been pounced on by one.
perhaps they see me comming + run?

I'll tell you what to do. One of two things:

1. Assume a vacant expression, allow yourself to dribble, fix him with a vacant stare and grin horribly.

2. Go one better than him. Tell him ALL about your la-*test*-('") game of golf. Or your children. Or grandchildren. All the time clutching his arm in a death-grip while you stand MUCH too close to him for comfort.

They work.



Er... I hasten to add that I have NOT used these tactics. They have been used on me.

And really, if you use the 2nd tactic mentioned by Fljotsdale you should probably mention that it all was in a video game, as many of these people will consider those types of games stupid.

Yeah, or then you could try staring him straight in the eyes (for some reason people find that scary ) and maybe ask something REEEEEALLY weird, like "So where´s the vegetable department?"

I have used this sort of tactics. It works.

Oh, and I´d like to add something to your list... We, unlike them, understand jokes.

Or 'You've already had your lunch, haven't you?'

Someone tried to start a conversation with me using that opening line the other day.

Cor dear all these polite suggestions. What's wrong with a good old fashioned:

1) "F*** off nerd"

or

2) "Oh yes - that bloke over there was telling me he has an entire collection of Sarah Jane Smith nude pictures and can speak fluent Dalek" and watch him run over there

Hmm... The 2:nd one was interesting... Though I think It mightn´t work in my ancient, backwards land... Finland... BUT if I would change Sarah Jane Smith to Linda Lampenius, it might work...

I haven't seen anywhere near that many anorak-wearing nerds in Finland though so I doubt it's needed! Not even at that dinky little Nekokon thing in Kuopio I went to (some anime convention that consisted of about 6 stalls and a drawing competition lol!!)