FACTS (the largest geek convention in the Benelux) was last weekend, and I had a whole scheme worked out with Experiment No.7 and a couple other co-conspirators to get me there, in cosplay, without my parents knowing. It was a lot of ado, so it’s probably good to know that it wasn’t for nothing; the con was absolutely awesome and worth every cent/minute I spent on it. I can also report that my costume didn’t fall apart for the entirety of the event, so that’s a success as well… Photos will follow as soon as I get them uploaded.
A couple problems arose though, and they had nothing to do with me, my parents, or my cosplay. Experiment No.7 unexpectedly caught sight of an old acquaintance of his, namely the notorious Exhibit K., the ex-girlfriend who was the catalyst for his self-destructive behavior before we met. She was manning one of the booths on the con, and when No.7 saw her I almost feared the worst, aka total mental breakdown. After a moment of panic he managed to man up and throw it over his shoulder though, which was a surprise as unexpected as it was pleasant.
The uncomfortable feeling remained however, not in the least because one of the couples in our shared friend-group (who was also on the con) is pretty much a break-up waiting to happen. They had a long-distance relationship, but it went sour because they only saw each other every few months. With both of them there for the con, you can imagine it got a little bit awkward at times. I didn’t notice it much at the time (too busy gawking at things I couldn’t afford and having my picture taken with epic cosplayers) but in retrospect I can tell the situation was rather strained between them. No.7 is usually far more receptive to this kind of things than I am, so I’m sure he noticed.
There were a couple more small incidents (they usually ended with No.7 pouting for one reason or another), and together with the above, it made our great day out end in a bit of a false note.
No.7 thinks we don’t see each other often enough, and that I am more distant lately. Personally I think he feels threatened because it’s starting to look like I might finally be getting my shit together despite my diagnosis/prognosis, while he is still diploma-, job-, and qualification-less, almost three years after our stint in psychiatry. I’m not sure how I can help assuage this sense of threat, because in essence it’s true. At least, I think so.
He has nothing to fear though; so far he perfectly fulfills my needs as an amazing sex partner, amusing party companion, indulgent “nonsense therapist”, and all-around bestie. Not to mention, he is pretty. Given all that, I think I can deal with him being immature and unemployed. Life is all about compromise, isn’t it? I appreciate him for his strengths and forgive him his flaws, and I can only hope he does the same for me.
On another, highly painful and unpleasant note: I have pericoronitis. One of my wisdom teeth never broke through completely, and now I have an abscess under the flap of gum that still half covers the tooth. Half of my jaw is visibly swollen, I can’t properly open and close my mouth, even swallowing hurts, and they can’t drain the abscess unless I want a strep throat infection within a week after. All I can do now is suffer, hold a cold compress to my jaw, and hope the antibiotics will kick in soon. *sigh* Life’s tough.
Also: Day 22 Under The Doom! Last week I didn’t manage to cross off a lot of things from my weekly list of Doom, but I think the successful con and cosplay make up for that. It was a good week, with lots of interesting things happening.
We're All Mad Inhere 