Common Sense

[Suzan Harden]

What's the worst or weirdest thing that's happened to you involving a CP? No real names, folks.

The weirdest for me involved the first critique group I joined. As a newbie writer, I was thrilled that I'd been invited by a bunch of experienced writers. After our second meeting, I was chatting with one of the gentlemen in the group as we packed papers. Nothing big (or so I thought), just one of those getting-to-know-you things. All of the sudden he got a strange look on his face and rushed out of the Starbuck's. After the next meeting, he pulled me aside and lectured me that by not wearing a wedding ring, I was falsely advertising my 'status.' Needless to say, I left critique group shortly afterward.

[Amanda Church]

I don't think I can top that. In fact, I can't think of anything weird that's happened to me IN a crit group. Now, BECAUSE of one is a different story.

My old CP and I decided to join the local chapter of the Camarilla (the Masquerade RPG) for "research" for one of her books (it was about vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires in an RPG). It was her idea, but being the supportive CP that I was, I agreed to go along for the sake of posterity (and well, who could resist?). I believe there might have been alcohol involved in the initial decision, but that was so long ago I've blanked it out.

Unfortunately, the reality of the Cam wasn't nearly as much fun as the thought of it, which was massively disappointing since we'd gone to the trouble of picking out really goth costumes at a local vintage shop, then investing in some real dentures (she had a dentist friend who was also into role-playing, though I think that was more a lifestyle type thing) and those crazy Wildfire contacts. We were all set to immerse ourselves as vampires, only to find out the Cam was supposed to HIDE their existence from humans, not flaunt it. Bah! What fun was that? At least we got come cool Halloween costunmes out of it.