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To some, we are odd. Dressed in "costumes", speaking with bad accents, and eating food on a stick. We are the freaks and the geeks. We are drama club, chess club, and d&d players. We are too fat, too thin, too smart, and too socially awkward, until we walk through the gates. At Ren Faires/Fests all over the country, we shine. History majors are not scoffed; World of Warcrafters are not jeered. The more you know, the better. Memorized the complete works of Shakespeare? We celebrate you. Willing to swallow swords, walk on glass, or attempt other feats of weird, ridiculous, or gross? You are our idols. Play the bag pipes, the pan flute, the ocarina? You are our rock stars. Even better, you talk to us, take pictures with us, and honestly appreciate us. You were once just like us, and you don;t forget it. For that we love you even more.
The Ren Fest is the one place where you can be without feeling different. Everyone was a geek, a nerd, a dweeb once. Everyone around was once picked on, or left out. Men buy you roses, and flirt with you, sometimes for the first time in your life. Women who were always told they were ugly, fat, or unwanted, are loved, revered and celebrated. Men who were awkward, and picked last for everything, are winked at, chosen first, and suave.
At Faire, the weird ones (or Mundanes) are the jocks, the preps, the bros, and the populars. They are the ones who do not fit in.They are the ones looked at funnily. They are the ones desperate to fit in. They want to be one of us.
Eventually, we all have go back to reality, but I have found we begin to take a little of that fantasy back with us, and steadily, our reality can become closer to this fantasy, as we become more confident, and take some of the things we have learned about ourselves back to the real world.
For me, I have learned that I am beautiful, funny, and a good seamstress. I have more confidence, and can talk to strangers without fear.I have learned that a good fight sequence is more beautiful than ballet, and there is nothing better than a man in a kilt.I have learned to appreciate myself, and my quirks.
Thank you Rennies, for all that you do. Thank you for entertaining us, for encouraging us, for talking to us, and for being just as geeky and freaky as we are.
