When reading some accounts of other ppl I don’t feel like I’ve had this enormous, obvious feeling of not fitting in1. I’ve had various different friends, even if I wasn’t super close w most of them. Nevertheless, there still has quite often been an awkwardness around interacting w (especially to me new) ppl.
Growing up w my mom, we at some point started communicating through meows w each other. It was a fun, playful way to check in w each other, to ask whether everything is OK, whether the other one is still present, whether the other person is doing well; all in a single “word”, w a single-”word” reply.2
During my recent trip to Paris it was quite an interesting experience to find myself amongst like-minded ppl (mostly LGBTESCREALs) where talking to anyone was just joyous ease. No awkwardness, just quickly getting into good conversations. This was great.
Also, when we were a room full of trans-femmes, meow-cascades would occasionally start where someone would meow for one-reason-or-another, triggering a barrage of meows to echo over the next minute-or-so from the rest of the litter. This was great.
It’s a strange experience to find yourself in a group where many of the ways you differed from most ppl you knew are the ways you in which in this group you are all the same.
Addendum: this also holds for not drinking alcohol or veganism, which previously I’ve known an individual here or there who doesn’t drink much or is vegan. Also, staying at each other’s places and sleepovers are great! I’ve previously mourned that this gets lost when becoming an adult – except of course if you find ppl who also have such preferences and you can just do these things after all :)
Footnotes
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Custom words to make communication btwn close individuals easier is pretty great and should happen lots. ↩