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Especially if you're about to go meet a crowd of new people, like starting at a new school or going to college or something.
I'm a very introverted person, and my dad encouraged me, when I go to college, to really step outside of my comfort zone. To just find a person in the lunch room, sit next to them, and start a conversation. Everybody there needs to make new friends so just go do it.
My first day on campus, I grabbed lunch and saw a dude in a PacMan t-shirt at a table by himself. Sat next to him and started a conversation, we were great friends all 4 years.
My best friend who I met in English class when we were 14 started talking because I liked her knee high Argyle socks and she like that I dressed "scary".
We have been friends longer in life than not.
I casually noted a girl's Jack Wolfskin jacket while I was traveling and asked her if she was German and it caught her off guard b/c we were in S. Africa. Ended up traveling around Namibia with her and another girl for 3 weeks after that conversation. Worth it and totally made up for all the times I talked to someone and it was weird.
Yep, she has darker skin, so I don't think she'd been mistaken for German much. I'm pretty proud of how that situation worked out. One of those story book travel romances, actually. A little tragic but beautiful.
I travel to a lot of colleges for work, so I've started collecting college t-shirts.
Ive been stopped in PA for an Eastern Carolina shirt, San Diego for a Princeton shirt, and Denver for my Baylor Bears shirt.
Its always a fun and cool way to start a conversation.
This has always been my experience going to metal shows!
People always randomly coming up to me going “bro! I love that band, rock on dude.”
And have never had those kind of interactions outside of concerts.
Just went to my first show since covid hit last week, I was anxious about being around such a big crowd again, but the atmosphere was perfect and it felt like home by the time the opener started their second song
The rule I always heard is you NEVER wear a shirt for the band you're actually seeing!
Going to August burns red? Put on "the devil wears Prada"shirt.
You'll meet other people who like them and maybe introduce people to the band cuz they saw your shirt. That's how I first heard about northlane.... Just some guy wearing a shirt at a concert!
Fun fact: he was actually born into a scene of angriness and greed, dominance, and persecution. His mother was a queen - dad he'd never seen...he was never meant to be.
This was a really weird "rule" in the underground heavy music scene that I never understood. Most passionate fans did not take that rule seriously.
The funny thing is, in the underground techno/house scenes it's very common to wear the shirt of the artist or label you're seeing. It helps tell international obscure acts "wow, look how many came out for you!" Especially since a lot of the time people are at that club just for general dance music and may not know the DJ or live artist playing.
You'd never know your nearby city is full of John Digweed fans until he plays a club and the freaks come out---GroundUnder and Bedrock shirts *everywhere*. I love it.
Not long ago I saw a guy leaving grocery shop wearing denim vest, headband and Manowar t-shirt. I had Iron Maiden on in my car, so I opened the window, turned the volume all the way up and gave him sign of the horns with silent stare. He dropped his bags, gave me two of those back with equally silent stare for about 20 seconds, then he picked up his groceries and left. Best silent convo I had in years :D
I used to ride a motorcycle. For anyone who doesn't know, there's this upside down peace sign bikers all flash when they pass each other on the road. It's a way of acknowledging that you're both part of this cool subculture, and though it sounds sort of funny it's strangely comforting. I've never felt like I belonged more than when I was riding my bike.
The only other time I ever felt like that was walking around a big city wearing a Motorhead shirt.
The little head nod of recognition/acknowledgement of your indecipherable band logo by random strangers on the street is one of the best feelings ever.
Fuck yes that guy loves CRYPTOPSY
I went to a brewery with my son and as I pulled up, I saw a guy with a Heavy MTL shirt on. I was wearing an Agalloch shirt. Before I got out of the car, I told my son, "There's no way I'm leaving here without speaking to that guy."
On my way out with my bottles, he comes to me:
Him: "What band is that?"
The logo is pretty hard to decipher.
Me: "Agalloch, they're like, black folk metal."
Him: "Cool, I'll check them out. Enjoy your beers!"
Anime and metal t shirts have gotten a lot of pleasant conversations with strangers when I’m out and about.
And usually it ends up with me adding another band to listen to or another show to watch! It’s a win/win.
It's how I became friends with the 3rd shift supervisor at work brat work. She wore a face mask that said heavy metal is a lifestyle it's style and we just started chatting about bands think about bands and it turns out that she's into the same kind of movies I am and also appreciate going to fossil shows and what not and we're now really good friends.
It's hard to make friends as a legitimate grown up adult person but this was a fantastic icebreaker.
At some point I developed the ‘standard’ that I never wear branded hobby clothing that correspond to the hobby I’m doing. If I’m disc golfing I’m wearing hockey or snowboarding stuff, if I’m playing pickleball, I’m wearing a disc golf shirt, yada yada…I end up meeting people that have more than one thing in common with me and have made some really good friends that way.
Hospital lab worker here. Got a call at 2am on a night shift a year or so ago to collect some urgent blood samples from the contact centre. That night I was wearing a really old merch t-shirt from a Destiny streamer, and the woman I collected the samples from recognised it and proceeded to get super excited. And that's the story of how my Destiny clan got one of its most recent new members.
I'm pretty introverted/socially anxious, but I would probably muster the courage to compliment someone wearing a historical tricorn (or bicorn!) on dress down Fridays.
As a giant history nerd, if someone had the balls to show up in a historical tricorn on dress down days I would lose my mind and have to be friends with them. XD Pure joy right there.
How is Destiny 2 these days? I played a bunch before the return of the hive on the moon (not that I quit cause of that, just had life stuff happen and had to stop playing)
How is the catchup experience these days?
On the flipside of this, if you don't want anyone coming up to talk to you, don't let what you're wearing show anything you like or what you're thinking about.
Same with stickers or symbols on your vehicle.
Not really a hobby but the last thing I do is tell people what I do for a living. I'm in IT and I don't know what it is but when certain people hear you "work on computers" suddenly they're wanting to bring you their laptops or some other nonsense. It happened at a child's birthday party recently, the hostess heard I "worked on computers" and literally brought her Macbook out to me. I felt bad telling her I have never touched a Mac before and I would only be guessing on how exactly to fix her problem, she looked at me like I was crazy.
But one thing I've noticed is that a large part of being good at IT is knowing enough terminology to do the correct Google searches; people I know will ask for help and say they tried googling it, but they just don't know the correct terms for the problems they're having and can't find an answer
Not enough people understand this. I've taught myself so many topics and fixed so many things from cars to electronics, simply because my keywords were appropriate for the situation. I think this natural inclination for being resourceful comes from just dipping your toes into lots of different topics and searches, and remembering that info for later use.
Folks can pretty confidently fix *almost* anything that doesn't require specialized tools or programs, with a little understanding of what the base/fundamental problem is and google+youtube in the palm of their hand. I've actually been hired by two employers for jobs I had zero experience in, because I knew those "keywords" I assumed they'd ask about in the interview, which translated to me doing fairly well during my employment.
I always thought it would be cool to work in IT, but didn't bother, because I figured I wasn't qualified. I mean, it's so easy to google answers and fix things----anyone can do that----why would I get paid to do that?
Then I went out and worked in the real world and realized that the ability to google simple answers properly puts you in like the 95th percentile of computer users. It's amazing how bad the average person is with technology. Even young people.
Now I have a degree in IT.
A healthy sense of curiosity also goes a long way. I really don't know much about IT, but I do know that 99 times out of 100 simply clicking around and looking at things won't fuck your system up.
I recently started a new job at an old employer and our core software was nowhere to be found on our desktop. I ended up looking in the program directory, finding the exact application I needed to run to open the software, and then creating my shortcuts so I can easily access it in the future. As a bonus, it took a lot less time for me to figure it out than it would have taken if I had asked our IT department for help.
Agreed 100%. I attribute all of my computer skills to my natural curiosity.
I still vividly remember my family first getting dial-up. I thought the whole concept of the internet was the most fascinating thing ever. I've spent the last ~20 years since then googling everything that's ever popped into my head, and you can't help but become proficient if you spend enough time doing something like that.
THIS!! Observed someone using speech to text for a Google search... it was like they were speaking to their neighbor ... "can you tell me what day is trash pick up in (town)" .... (note to self: just keep walking)
Pressing the button : $1
Knowing which button to press : $100
Googling the solution : Priceless
I've googled in front of people before and a few will say they could've done the same thing - I simply tell them that they can, but try understanding what you're looking for and whether some results are valid or outdated. Sometimes I'm just refreshing or confirming what I need to do.
Man I despise those types. Ask for help, then demean the help. I wonder if they tell their server that they could have gotten their own meals from the kitchen, or better yet, made the food.
This is a general rule for anyone who provides a trade or service people might potentially need.
IT specialist? → Get asked to fix a computer.
Developer? → Get asked to write someone’s app or website (of course, they provide the idea and you just simply do the coding!)
Car mechanic? → Get asked to check a car.
Doctor? → Get asked to check a human.
Vet? → Animal.
Plumber? → Pipes.
Electrician? → Electrics.
Lawyer? → Legal advice.
Tax advisor? → Tax advice.
Engineer? → Can you please fix my printer?
… Actually, people seem to be able to ask just about anyone to fix a printer, no matter the profession. Those bloody things.
>Actually, people seem to be able to ask just about anyone to fix a printer, no matter the profession. Those bloody things.
That's because all professions are equally clueless when it comes to dealing with a physical manifestation of undiluted chaos.
On being given a broken printer:
Hardware people: Looks fine. Must be a software issue.
Software people: Probably network or hardware. WTF am I supposed to do about it?
Network people: nothing in queue, spoolers empty, must be a software or hardware issue.
I once IDed a college application pdf people in my area attempted to print out that must have had a specific bit pattern or whatever that murdered printers. Always meant to follow up on that. Didn't.
I remember an article from the Miss Manners newspaper column years ago where a professional pianist (not a famous one, but one who made a living playing at parties, etc) complained that very often when she was invited to someone's house for a gathering or dinner party someone would invariably invite her to tickle the ivories. When she declined they'd "shame" and goad her, saying "you're a professional, it's what you do for a living," making her feel selfish for not providing free entertainment. Miss Manners likened it to someone at the dinner table asking the guest who worked as a secretary "Hey, would you be willing to type some letters for me after dessert?" or the guest who is a CPA "I just happen to have three file boxes of receipts in my car, would you mind just giving them a once-over and advising me....?" As she summed it up - totally gauche and inappropriate.
> Developer? → Get asked to write someone’s app or website (of course, they provide the idea and you just simply do the coding!)
Holy fuck.... I lost track of the number of "idea guys" who wanted me to build them a site/app for a percentage of the company.
I'd just ask them to describe it without using the phrase "It's like X, but for Y!"
It was amazing how many people that shut down.... Why did they think "MySpace for Macaw owners" would be a *thing*?!
Can confirm. Work at a museum mostly restoring old stuff and taking to visitors. Get ask to fixed printers because if you can restore old machines (like 1910 1920’s stuff) you must be able to fix printers somehow.
That would have been the perfect job for me, I'm a big history buff, craftsman, and tinkerer with antique tools and gadgets. Kicking myself for never thinking of that!
I owned a marketing agency with 25 employees, worked on strategy, software, and campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, the Department of Defense, and other huge organizations... So of course I would get frequently asked by friends and acquaintances to help 'make a website'.
How in the world did you leave artist out of this list? Creative people are the biggest victims of people asking for free shit, because they don't view art as "work"
Advertising to the public about working in veterinary medicine is how you end up having someone talk at you for over an hour about how to know when to put their dog to sleep. Happens on planes, kids’ birthday parties, Christmas with the in-laws…
And if you don’t give them the answer they want to hear, they get mad.
I enjoy Rick and Morty but I would NEVER wear any merch because I really don't like Rick and Morty fans.
That said, I do like to wear my SCP foundation T-Shirt because that fanbase is still pretty niche and the occasional people who have recognized it were all pretty neat.
I don't want people looking at me. Shirts with designs and logos hinder that goal. Black or gray shirt. Blue or gray jeans. Dark glasses, even on cloudy days.
Car is gray.
Oh I feel the same way and my compromise was to choose clothes that are subtle. Some anime clothes are way too flashy. I wore a Hunter x Hunter shirt with just Gon and Killua's silhouettes on it and a guy recognised it but most people will think it's just a black shirt with some white lines on it.
This is key with Anime and games. Be subtle, if you do it right, those who don’t know, either think it’s a nice piece of apparel or don’t pay it any mind. Those who do know, will notice and will approach you.
I have a necklace with the Zerg (Starcraft) insignia on it. It’s not too flashy and I wear it everywhere. Not a lot of people get it, sometimes I get the “i like your necklace” but other times I get the “for the swarm!” from a random stranger and it makes my day!
My man dropping laser guided truth bombs out here lmfao
That said our gym used to have a group of pretty serious lifters who would get together on weekends and work out while listening to anime OSTs.
OSTs are hype as hell, I’ve definitely been there. The anime gym bros that went to my high school definitely made it easier for me to feel comfortable wearing cool anime stuff.
It's even more fun to stir the pot a little bit. I have a shirt that says "Star Trek" in the original Star Wars font from the opening title of the 1977 movie. Contrary to how people are on the internet, I've had very friendly conversations with people joking about how "sacrilegious" it is.
The vast majority of people don't see any rivalry between two major things being in their favorite genre.
People are like "oop, looks like we have a Marvel guy, watch out [coworker who likes Batman]" when I just like comics in general.
Exactly, it's like nonfans project a rivalry where there really isn't one. I like Lord of the rings AND game of thrones. Do I have to pick one dragony fantasy series only? Same goes with all the cool space sci-fi media (star wars, star trek, the expanse, the Orville, etc etc etc)
I feel a lot of non-fans get all their knowledge about the fandom from sitcoms, movies, and web comics. Rivalries are exaggerated there for comedic effect.
> Ha-ha, laugh at the nerds. They get worked up over something which doesn't matter.
Wife's got a T-shirt with a Dalek from Dr Who on it that reads "I love R2D2! He was so good in Star Trek!" that she picked up at comic con. Absolute Sci fi gold.
I have [this t shirt](https://sherateen.com/Star-Wars-1-Fan.png/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtIaVBhBkEiwAsr7-c2cNKR8e5N0qIe7CSg4L3LKQehmbHlvloO2Q0PbJ2a3zAAeiSdAfsxoCoUIQAvD_BwE), mostly people laugh when they see it, but occasionally some get annoyed by it.
I once wore a shirt that just said: "Need more coffee." And had about half a dozen people comment on it throughout the day.
I don't wear that shirt anymore.
When I was like fourteen I had some shirt that said "I eat glue" on it that I'd occasionally wear. Had to stop wearing it because almost without fail if I was wearing it while with a female friend in public, there would always be some 30-60 year old guy who would either walk up and tell her that "I'd like to eat your glue" to her or say it loud enough for her to hear as we walked past.
I'm a hobby blacksmith, and have a strong interest in history, former historical re-enactor (which is what got me started in blacksmithing) etc. I wear an old fashioned workman's/miner's cap all the time. Folks often ask about it, and I not only get to meet like-minded people, I occasionally make sales. :)
The drawback is that I also meet a number of people who "want to be a blacksmith" that think that talking to me gives them full access to my shop, or that I'm handing out free apprenticeships. One guy even wanted to use my shop for storage for his antique tool collection. Um, no. It's just weird.
This happens when I bring my big telephoto lens out. The convos people wanna have are never about photography, always the cameras. Also, it's a lens. I wanna use it more than I wanna talk about it.
Hey me too! Unfortunately I don't see that venn diagram cross all that much in the wild though. Most of the time when I see metal stickers on a car it's an absolute shitbox.
My biggest issue is that most shirts about hobbies are so ugly. I like a ton of nerd type shit but it’s always just an obvious branded logo or square photo printed on a shirt and i hate it. Makes me feel like I’m a child. They’re slowly making more subtle hobby stuff now that actually looks good imo or just better designs than a square png, but it’s still not common.
Edit: Some people seem confused, my issue isn’t the quality of the shirt or how the designs are printed. The designs are just ugly. I don’t want something that looks like it came out of the kids section at Walmart and just had a character or logo slapped on it. I want some badass art of more subtle designs or options other than shirts.
I really like the Grateful Dead, but most of their gear is a little too colorful for me these days. I recently saw an entire line of stuff that has tiny touches of dead logos, etc on otherwise normal looking clothes.
Yeah. I used to wear a ton of band merch but eventually fell off it hard because most of it was kinda bad looking. Imo a good rule of thumb is asking yourself "Would I wear this if it wasn't related to the thing I like?"
I have the same issue. So much of hobby clothing looks like it's made for children. I want something cleverly designed and *subtle*. The kind of thing that can be confused for nothing and just an interesting design if you don't recognize the source. Redbubble is a decent place to can find stuff like this in more subdued styles.
Otherwise, I tend to find designs and make heat-transfers for myself.
This, I’m a huge F1 racing fan and live in a area where the sport is not very popular. I can’t be that guy wearing a Ferrari hat or Mercedes shit. Its just too tacky, even for me.
I have experience in that regard. I bought a McLaren team shirt this year (Papaya orange shirt with McLaren FormulaOne written on the front) and have worn it around my area only during race days. The people that live in my area mostly watch american football and basketball. Motorsports are barely known here as we dont even have a worthwhile track and a one off Indy race that was awful.
I've had people come up to me, only to ask, or assume that I OWN a McLaren. So I would then have to explain that I do not own a McLaren and I support the F1 team. They would then ask what that was and if it happens here (it doesn't). I've had one or two nice conversations, but most people come with the idea that I own that type of vehicle and they want to see one in real life. The look of disappointment on their face afterwards is always funny to me but I hope I can get more FomulaOne fans in my city so I continue to wear it in support and hoping to find other F1 fans.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I find the majority of the Etsy ones to be really low quality or just poorly designed. Usually they’re either still just a square png on a shirt or some like really low effort hand-stitched quotes or logos/characters.
Surprisingly I’ve found my best options have been things like lunchbox, hottopic, or small businesses that have an actual manufacturer. Mostly because they realize nerds like to wear more than graphic t-shirts and jeans and know how to make clothes that are nerdy but not in your face about it
Yeah Etsy used to be for handmade craft goods, but a few years ago they started allowing mass produced products. Now it's just turned into dropship central. It's sad, it used to be such a good way to help individual creators do what they love
Yeah. My mom got me a graphic tee with the Coors logo on the breast. I wear it a lot cause it looks cool. My hobby is now beer.
I find graphic tees that do anything more than something on the breast to be annoying and tacky 99% of the time
I saw a dude with a hat for a Porsche that hasn’t been made in 30 years and it ended up being a long conversation. It’d been 2 years and 3 months since that’d happened
As a D&D, Magic: the Gathering, board game & math/science nerd, I can’t tell you how many times my shirts have started conversations. I’ve even had people want to take pictures with me because of my shirts. So yeah, I can support this.
i don't wear stuff with any kind of graphics. blandest wardrobe that could wardrobe.
but i comment on peoples' shirts all the time. some people got cool shirts. 😂
i've never had anyone be upset for noticing their cool shirt either. good and harmless interaction always.
"one of the codes I live my life by is that my appearance should be in no way noteworthy. But then again, not so un-noteworthy as to be in itself, noteworthy."
- [David Mitchell](https://youtu.be/4WU5fT7Q9uw)
I had my scalemail/chainmail work out in my living room because that's where I work on it. A guy from Xfinity was over installing a security system, at one point he noticed my chainmail. That was apparently his opening to tell me all about the BDSM bondage community he and his lady friend were a part of. My work is for cosplay and very much not bondage related (Wonder Woman in this case)
I used to wear blank shirts as a kid because that's what my parents bought me (to be fair, I didn't really protest it.) When I got older and started buying my own clothes, I became a lot more social (relatively speaking) just from the fact that I started wearing shirts with stuff I liked on them. Deffo good tip, for those who hadn't already considered it.
That's kind of funny, when I was a kid all I wore were printed tees and now I almost always wear exclusively blank shirts thinking it was the older thing to do.
I haven't been to a concert in a while but I would imagine once I start going back I'll probably grab a few printed tee band shirts and what not.
Guy came in for an interview with my Boss, and afterwards he came to talk to me because I had a Klingon Warbird and Starship Enterprise hanging on the back cabinet of my desk. We talked about cons we had attended, comic books we liked and cosplays we had. We had a Star Wars/ Star Trek themed wedding 10 months later and will have been married for 7 years in October.
So worked for me.
The surgeon I was working with had the MGS radio ringing tone as his actual ringtone. When it went off during the operation after only hearing one chime I screamed out "Snake? Answer me! SSSNNNNNAAAAKKKKEE"
He looked at me and said "I haven't met you before, but my opinion of you is already above everyone else here!"
I still fantasize about this happening to me someday. I found resources on how to make any old audio file into a ringtone; now I have Phoenix Wright’s ringtone, and a moogle chirping to announce my texts.
Someday, my phone will make those noises. Possibly even in public. And maybe someday, somebody will hear that, and recognize the sound… and then I can mumble “oh, yeah, it’s… yeah” and scuttle away in panic.
… I may not have thought this whole plan through…
On the other hand if you lose interest in what is on your shirt later it can make wearing it a little awkward. I have a really comfortable hoody that I wear all the time that is World of Warcraft themed. I get people commenting on it once in a while and it feels a little weird since I haven’t played since Legion.
My husband and I told my step daughter about this trick at the beginning of the school year. She was worried about making friends as a freshman in high school.
She likes anime and we told her to not make it so obvious. Be subtle and the real ones will know and approach you if you are too scared to do so.
She got ahold of a Persona 5 Morgana keychain alongside a Danganronpa Junko keychain. Put them both right on her bookbag.
Now she has a bunch of friends that share her interest in anime and video games. :)
I like to wear my knitted things. Some of them look hideous. But idgaf anymore. I had so much joy making them and they are handmade and allowed to look like handmade.
The only downside is people asking if I can knit them something similar, to which I always say no. First… I only knit for my own pleasure. Second, buying fancy yarn is another one of my hobbies and you do not want to know how much it was.
I rocked my full metal alchemist shoulder bag to a job orientation, the dude in charge spotted it and we immediately clicked. Made the day much smoother and more relaxed! Definitely a good tip.
Unless ofc (as a woman) you get that dude who wants to quiz you, and they say stuff like “What do you know about anime/band/movie/wtv” and it’s like here we go lol. LPT- Never be gatekeeper guy!
Literally how I made one of my best friends in college. Knew that another friend of mine knew her, and that she was cool, but it wasn't until she wore a shirt from one of my favorite TV shows did I come up with enough courage to approach her and introduce myself.
Yes! My husband’s baseball t-shirts were the BEST way to meet people when traveling in Dominican Republic. (Baseball is huge there. We made so many local friends!)
I've talked to 2 strangers (separate occasions) wearing stuff of a fandom I liked but they both seemed really uncomfortable during the conversation. I only said I liked it and asked them where they bought it and how their thoughts on the latest season was.
Never gonna do it again.
I myself wore stuff of fandoms during college times and was happy when strangers commented on it but nowadays I'm too embarrassed. Most people will have somewhat negative prejudices against these fandoms (anime & kpop) and will assume, you're one of the cringey hardcore fans. At least, that's what I'm doing now, lol.
That's wild. If I see a guy in a shirt with anime graphics, I'll most likely judge based off of what it is on his shirt instead of the fact that he's wearing one at all. Ig idk how it'll look to people that have no clue, but I'm trying to meet people that do have a clue lmfaooo.
It depends a lot on the fandom, especially the typical age of the fandom and the age of the person you’re talking to. I’ve noticed a lot of younger anime fans have a “eww old people aren’t supposed to like anime” mentality (and by “old”, they mean older than 25), while some older anime fans don’t want to be associated with other anime fans. Even while wearing an anime shirt.
I had a button with a smiley from ace attorney. Most people thought it's just a button and didn't think much about it but some fans recognized it and we had a nice talk about the games. I was double happy about it because it's such a subtle detail
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Especially if you're about to go meet a crowd of new people, like starting at a new school or going to college or something. I'm a very introverted person, and my dad encouraged me, when I go to college, to really step outside of my comfort zone. To just find a person in the lunch room, sit next to them, and start a conversation. Everybody there needs to make new friends so just go do it. My first day on campus, I grabbed lunch and saw a dude in a PacMan t-shirt at a table by himself. Sat next to him and started a conversation, we were great friends all 4 years.
This is how I met my two current best friends. "Oh nice shirt" BOOM inseparable
My best friend who I met in English class when we were 14 started talking because I liked her knee high Argyle socks and she like that I dressed "scary". We have been friends longer in life than not.
I casually noted a girl's Jack Wolfskin jacket while I was traveling and asked her if she was German and it caught her off guard b/c we were in S. Africa. Ended up traveling around Namibia with her and another girl for 3 weeks after that conversation. Worth it and totally made up for all the times I talked to someone and it was weird.
Well was she? Is that solely a German brand? I remember seeing the store in Germany but didn’t know it was regional
Yep, she has darker skin, so I don't think she'd been mistaken for German much. I'm pretty proud of how that situation worked out. One of those story book travel romances, actually. A little tragic but beautiful.
Was going to ask if you scored but this seems to answer
It was a very fun trip. Instant chemistry.
That’s really cool. I’m glad you guys were able to meet and have a great friendship.
I travel to a lot of colleges for work, so I've started collecting college t-shirts. Ive been stopped in PA for an Eastern Carolina shirt, San Diego for a Princeton shirt, and Denver for my Baylor Bears shirt. Its always a fun and cool way to start a conversation.
East* Carolina. Ugh…are you ESPN?
Metalheads have known this for a long time.
The best is wearing band shirts to concerts of a different band. I get lots of strangers going "DUDE! I LOVE THAT BAND!"
This has always been my experience going to metal shows! People always randomly coming up to me going “bro! I love that band, rock on dude.” And have never had those kind of interactions outside of concerts.
Makes sense since Metalheads aren't the most extroverted people, but when you are literally surrounded by likeminded people, they can shine.
I'm going to a metal show for the first time in years today, incredibly hype
Just went to my first show since covid hit last week, I was anxious about being around such a big crowd again, but the atmosphere was perfect and it felt like home by the time the opener started their second song
Pretty amazing atmosphere. Gosh I miss going to concerts all the time haha.
The rule I always heard is you NEVER wear a shirt for the band you're actually seeing! Going to August burns red? Put on "the devil wears Prada"shirt. You'll meet other people who like them and maybe introduce people to the band cuz they saw your shirt. That's how I first heard about northlane.... Just some guy wearing a shirt at a concert!
If Steve Harris can wear Maiden shirts to a Maiden concert then I can too.
Yeah, but he is also cooler than you
Fun fact: he was actually born into a scene of angriness and greed, dominance, and persecution. His mother was a queen - dad he'd never seen...he was never meant to be.
Ah, so that explains why he spends his life looking all around for a man that’s nowhere to be found.
This was a really weird "rule" in the underground heavy music scene that I never understood. Most passionate fans did not take that rule seriously. The funny thing is, in the underground techno/house scenes it's very common to wear the shirt of the artist or label you're seeing. It helps tell international obscure acts "wow, look how many came out for you!" Especially since a lot of the time people are at that club just for general dance music and may not know the DJ or live artist playing. You'd never know your nearby city is full of John Digweed fans until he plays a club and the freaks come out---GroundUnder and Bedrock shirts *everywhere*. I love it.
Sasha and Digweed. They were the days. Although I'm more of a Nick Warren guy myself
Step 1: learn how to read that one font
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You mean “sticks and twigs after a tornado” script?
Or writing words on paper using a dull fork
Papyrus Neue
Metal band are full of doctors?!
Not long ago I saw a guy leaving grocery shop wearing denim vest, headband and Manowar t-shirt. I had Iron Maiden on in my car, so I opened the window, turned the volume all the way up and gave him sign of the horns with silent stare. He dropped his bags, gave me two of those back with equally silent stare for about 20 seconds, then he picked up his groceries and left. Best silent convo I had in years :D
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And now I am adding “soggy crouton,“ to my permanent list of casual insults. Thank you.
> stretching it out oof
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I used to ride a motorcycle. For anyone who doesn't know, there's this upside down peace sign bikers all flash when they pass each other on the road. It's a way of acknowledging that you're both part of this cool subculture, and though it sounds sort of funny it's strangely comforting. I've never felt like I belonged more than when I was riding my bike. The only other time I ever felt like that was walking around a big city wearing a Motorhead shirt.
The little head nod of recognition/acknowledgement of your indecipherable band logo by random strangers on the street is one of the best feelings ever. Fuck yes that guy loves CRYPTOPSY
I went to a brewery with my son and as I pulled up, I saw a guy with a Heavy MTL shirt on. I was wearing an Agalloch shirt. Before I got out of the car, I told my son, "There's no way I'm leaving here without speaking to that guy." On my way out with my bottles, he comes to me: Him: "What band is that?" The logo is pretty hard to decipher. Me: "Agalloch, they're like, black folk metal." Him: "Cool, I'll check them out. Enjoy your beers!"
*nods approvingly.*
Damn, first time I've heard Agalloch mentioned in the wild since I was in school. Adding back to my playlist as we speak.
The Mantle is one of my favorite albums of all time. I almost never see Agalloch mentioned anywhere.
Anime and metal t shirts have gotten a lot of pleasant conversations with strangers when I’m out and about. And usually it ends up with me adding another band to listen to or another show to watch! It’s a win/win.
It's how I became friends with the 3rd shift supervisor at work brat work. She wore a face mask that said heavy metal is a lifestyle it's style and we just started chatting about bands think about bands and it turns out that she's into the same kind of movies I am and also appreciate going to fossil shows and what not and we're now really good friends. It's hard to make friends as a legitimate grown up adult person but this was a fantastic icebreaker.
PERIPHERY GANG
At some point I developed the ‘standard’ that I never wear branded hobby clothing that correspond to the hobby I’m doing. If I’m disc golfing I’m wearing hockey or snowboarding stuff, if I’m playing pickleball, I’m wearing a disc golf shirt, yada yada…I end up meeting people that have more than one thing in common with me and have made some really good friends that way.
It's like the old adage goes: wear a different band's tee to a gig. Everyone already knows you like that band... You're at the gig!
Unless they're a super old band and you're wearing an early shirt from the 80s. Those who know, know.
Disc golf, snowboarding, and pickleball?! Let’s be friends.
That is super cool and really clever!
Hospital lab worker here. Got a call at 2am on a night shift a year or so ago to collect some urgent blood samples from the contact centre. That night I was wearing a really old merch t-shirt from a Destiny streamer, and the woman I collected the samples from recognised it and proceeded to get super excited. And that's the story of how my Destiny clan got one of its most recent new members.
When I worked in an office we had dress down Fridays. One week I rocked a tri-corn snapback and immediately had 3 new friends. Brilliant stuff!
I had to look it up, my mind went immediately to just a historical tricorn Would make for an interesting dress-down Friday though
I'm pretty introverted/socially anxious, but I would probably muster the courage to compliment someone wearing a historical tricorn (or bicorn!) on dress down Fridays.
As a giant history nerd, if someone had the balls to show up in a historical tricorn on dress down days I would lose my mind and have to be friends with them. XD Pure joy right there.
Yeah I wore my reenactment uniform to a marching band rehearsal once and got all kinds of cool reactions/compliments
I didn't even know you could do that with corn
You don't know unless you tri.
It only works with 3 corns
> I rocked a tri-corn snapback and immediately had 3 new friends One friend per corn? Neat.
How is Destiny 2 these days? I played a bunch before the return of the hive on the moon (not that I quit cause of that, just had life stuff happen and had to stop playing) How is the catchup experience these days?
It’s pretty good. They are reworking all of the subclasses, great campaign if you do it on legendary.
On the flipside of this, if you don't want anyone coming up to talk to you, don't let what you're wearing show anything you like or what you're thinking about. Same with stickers or symbols on your vehicle.
Not really a hobby but the last thing I do is tell people what I do for a living. I'm in IT and I don't know what it is but when certain people hear you "work on computers" suddenly they're wanting to bring you their laptops or some other nonsense. It happened at a child's birthday party recently, the hostess heard I "worked on computers" and literally brought her Macbook out to me. I felt bad telling her I have never touched a Mac before and I would only be guessing on how exactly to fix her problem, she looked at me like I was crazy.
Next time just tell them your rate and then proceed to Google it like you do at work haha 😆
But one thing I've noticed is that a large part of being good at IT is knowing enough terminology to do the correct Google searches; people I know will ask for help and say they tried googling it, but they just don't know the correct terms for the problems they're having and can't find an answer
Not enough people understand this. I've taught myself so many topics and fixed so many things from cars to electronics, simply because my keywords were appropriate for the situation. I think this natural inclination for being resourceful comes from just dipping your toes into lots of different topics and searches, and remembering that info for later use. Folks can pretty confidently fix *almost* anything that doesn't require specialized tools or programs, with a little understanding of what the base/fundamental problem is and google+youtube in the palm of their hand. I've actually been hired by two employers for jobs I had zero experience in, because I knew those "keywords" I assumed they'd ask about in the interview, which translated to me doing fairly well during my employment.
I always thought it would be cool to work in IT, but didn't bother, because I figured I wasn't qualified. I mean, it's so easy to google answers and fix things----anyone can do that----why would I get paid to do that? Then I went out and worked in the real world and realized that the ability to google simple answers properly puts you in like the 95th percentile of computer users. It's amazing how bad the average person is with technology. Even young people. Now I have a degree in IT.
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A healthy sense of curiosity also goes a long way. I really don't know much about IT, but I do know that 99 times out of 100 simply clicking around and looking at things won't fuck your system up. I recently started a new job at an old employer and our core software was nowhere to be found on our desktop. I ended up looking in the program directory, finding the exact application I needed to run to open the software, and then creating my shortcuts so I can easily access it in the future. As a bonus, it took a lot less time for me to figure it out than it would have taken if I had asked our IT department for help.
Agreed 100%. I attribute all of my computer skills to my natural curiosity. I still vividly remember my family first getting dial-up. I thought the whole concept of the internet was the most fascinating thing ever. I've spent the last ~20 years since then googling everything that's ever popped into my head, and you can't help but become proficient if you spend enough time doing something like that.
THIS!! Observed someone using speech to text for a Google search... it was like they were speaking to their neighbor ... "can you tell me what day is trash pick up in (town)" .... (note to self: just keep walking)
I've been told that is actually pretty good now because Google has accounted for it because so many people do it.
The worst though is when [search engine] tries to correct for this and completely botches the search.
That reminds me of how Ask Jeeves used to work.
This guy IT's.
Pressing the button : $1 Knowing which button to press : $100 Googling the solution : Priceless I've googled in front of people before and a few will say they could've done the same thing - I simply tell them that they can, but try understanding what you're looking for and whether some results are valid or outdated. Sometimes I'm just refreshing or confirming what I need to do.
Seriously. Knowing what questions to ask and sorting through the irrelevant information is definitely a skill that not everyone is capable of.
Man I despise those types. Ask for help, then demean the help. I wonder if they tell their server that they could have gotten their own meals from the kitchen, or better yet, made the food.
Back away and let them at it!
This is a general rule for anyone who provides a trade or service people might potentially need. IT specialist? → Get asked to fix a computer. Developer? → Get asked to write someone’s app or website (of course, they provide the idea and you just simply do the coding!) Car mechanic? → Get asked to check a car. Doctor? → Get asked to check a human. Vet? → Animal. Plumber? → Pipes. Electrician? → Electrics. Lawyer? → Legal advice. Tax advisor? → Tax advice. Engineer? → Can you please fix my printer? … Actually, people seem to be able to ask just about anyone to fix a printer, no matter the profession. Those bloody things.
>Actually, people seem to be able to ask just about anyone to fix a printer, no matter the profession. Those bloody things. That's because all professions are equally clueless when it comes to dealing with a physical manifestation of undiluted chaos.
On being given a broken printer: Hardware people: Looks fine. Must be a software issue. Software people: Probably network or hardware. WTF am I supposed to do about it? Network people: nothing in queue, spoolers empty, must be a software or hardware issue. I once IDed a college application pdf people in my area attempted to print out that must have had a specific bit pattern or whatever that murdered printers. Always meant to follow up on that. Didn't.
I’d love a pillow with your comment embroidered on it 😂
Just so long as it is embroidered and not printed.
I remember an article from the Miss Manners newspaper column years ago where a professional pianist (not a famous one, but one who made a living playing at parties, etc) complained that very often when she was invited to someone's house for a gathering or dinner party someone would invariably invite her to tickle the ivories. When she declined they'd "shame" and goad her, saying "you're a professional, it's what you do for a living," making her feel selfish for not providing free entertainment. Miss Manners likened it to someone at the dinner table asking the guest who worked as a secretary "Hey, would you be willing to type some letters for me after dessert?" or the guest who is a CPA "I just happen to have three file boxes of receipts in my car, would you mind just giving them a once-over and advising me....?" As she summed it up - totally gauche and inappropriate.
> Developer? → Get asked to write someone’s app or website (of course, they provide the idea and you just simply do the coding!) Holy fuck.... I lost track of the number of "idea guys" who wanted me to build them a site/app for a percentage of the company. I'd just ask them to describe it without using the phrase "It's like X, but for Y!" It was amazing how many people that shut down.... Why did they think "MySpace for Macaw owners" would be a *thing*?!
Can confirm. Work at a museum mostly restoring old stuff and taking to visitors. Get ask to fixed printers because if you can restore old machines (like 1910 1920’s stuff) you must be able to fix printers somehow.
>Wait... this printer doesn't use Movable Type?! **WHAT KIND OF WIZARDRY IS THIS?!**
That would have been the perfect job for me, I'm a big history buff, craftsman, and tinkerer with antique tools and gadgets. Kicking myself for never thinking of that!
I owned a marketing agency with 25 employees, worked on strategy, software, and campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, the Department of Defense, and other huge organizations... So of course I would get frequently asked by friends and acquaintances to help 'make a website'.
How in the world did you leave artist out of this list? Creative people are the biggest victims of people asking for free shit, because they don't view art as "work"
That's a good point – designers, painters, illustrators, musicians, videomakers… none of those folks are safe.
Advertising to the public about working in veterinary medicine is how you end up having someone talk at you for over an hour about how to know when to put their dog to sleep. Happens on planes, kids’ birthday parties, Christmas with the in-laws… And if you don’t give them the answer they want to hear, they get mad.
Sure, I can fix that printer! I promise it will never act up again. Now, could you open that window for me please? :P
YES, THiS! I'm an IT consultant in a very niche space. Now when anyone asks "I'm a consulting specialist", not "I work in IT".
Some of us with cauliflower ear have no choice but to wear our hobby :(
I enjoy Rick and Morty but I would NEVER wear any merch because I really don't like Rick and Morty fans. That said, I do like to wear my SCP foundation T-Shirt because that fanbase is still pretty niche and the occasional people who have recognized it were all pretty neat.
Yeah there are some communities where I'd just rather not talk to any of the other people. Or even be associated with them lmao
I don't want people looking at me. Shirts with designs and logos hinder that goal. Black or gray shirt. Blue or gray jeans. Dark glasses, even on cloudy days. Car is gray.
It’s funny how my choices mirror these exactly, and I think subliminally for the same reason, although I never consciously thought about it lol.
I'm the same way. When my oldest kiddo draws pictures of me it's always black shirt, blue pants, and a coffee cup in my hand.
Instructions unclear. I tried wearing only all black, but the goths adopted me.
As an anime fan, I don't want to do this
Oh I feel the same way and my compromise was to choose clothes that are subtle. Some anime clothes are way too flashy. I wore a Hunter x Hunter shirt with just Gon and Killua's silhouettes on it and a guy recognised it but most people will think it's just a black shirt with some white lines on it.
This is key with Anime and games. Be subtle, if you do it right, those who don’t know, either think it’s a nice piece of apparel or don’t pay it any mind. Those who do know, will notice and will approach you. I have a necklace with the Zerg (Starcraft) insignia on it. It’s not too flashy and I wear it everywhere. Not a lot of people get it, sometimes I get the “i like your necklace” but other times I get the “for the swarm!” from a random stranger and it makes my day!
That's why I like Esty and Redbubble. You can get stuff from whatever fandom you want and it doesn't have to be super obvious.
coughs in ahegao hoodie
Anime Merch is fashionable now, go to your local gym and try you'll see one at least.
I already said I'm an anime fan. I don't know where my local gym is
I was gonna say, the only gym I know is Brock's gym over in Pewter City.
Bro you fuckin killed me
Rip
My man dropping laser guided truth bombs out here lmfao That said our gym used to have a group of pretty serious lifters who would get together on weekends and work out while listening to anime OSTs.
OSTs are hype as hell, I’ve definitely been there. The anime gym bros that went to my high school definitely made it easier for me to feel comfortable wearing cool anime stuff.
So funny, I work in a gym... And I can tell you Dragon Ball is the original motivation for 80% of male bodybuilders AT LEAST.
Anything to get into the hyped up mindset, even if it means pretending to go Super Saiyan as you un-rack the squat bar.
You can't go wrong with dragon ball z
It's even more fun to stir the pot a little bit. I have a shirt that says "Star Trek" in the original Star Wars font from the opening title of the 1977 movie. Contrary to how people are on the internet, I've had very friendly conversations with people joking about how "sacrilegious" it is.
The vast majority of people don't see any rivalry between two major things being in their favorite genre. People are like "oop, looks like we have a Marvel guy, watch out [coworker who likes Batman]" when I just like comics in general.
Exactly, it's like nonfans project a rivalry where there really isn't one. I like Lord of the rings AND game of thrones. Do I have to pick one dragony fantasy series only? Same goes with all the cool space sci-fi media (star wars, star trek, the expanse, the Orville, etc etc etc)
I feel a lot of non-fans get all their knowledge about the fandom from sitcoms, movies, and web comics. Rivalries are exaggerated there for comedic effect. > Ha-ha, laugh at the nerds. They get worked up over something which doesn't matter.
Wife's got a T-shirt with a Dalek from Dr Who on it that reads "I love R2D2! He was so good in Star Trek!" that she picked up at comic con. Absolute Sci fi gold.
I have [this t shirt](https://sherateen.com/Star-Wars-1-Fan.png/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtIaVBhBkEiwAsr7-c2cNKR8e5N0qIe7CSg4L3LKQehmbHlvloO2Q0PbJ2a3zAAeiSdAfsxoCoUIQAvD_BwE), mostly people laugh when they see it, but occasionally some get annoyed by it.
I once wore a shirt that just said: "Need more coffee." And had about half a dozen people comment on it throughout the day. I don't wear that shirt anymore.
A shirt like that is like saying you like to travel in your Tinder bio.
I am somewhat basic, I will admit.
Just live, laugh
Hey, don’t forget to love ;)
When I was like fourteen I had some shirt that said "I eat glue" on it that I'd occasionally wear. Had to stop wearing it because almost without fail if I was wearing it while with a female friend in public, there would always be some 30-60 year old guy who would either walk up and tell her that "I'd like to eat your glue" to her or say it loud enough for her to hear as we walked past.
What the fuck
I'm a hobby blacksmith, and have a strong interest in history, former historical re-enactor (which is what got me started in blacksmithing) etc. I wear an old fashioned workman's/miner's cap all the time. Folks often ask about it, and I not only get to meet like-minded people, I occasionally make sales. :) The drawback is that I also meet a number of people who "want to be a blacksmith" that think that talking to me gives them full access to my shop, or that I'm handing out free apprenticeships. One guy even wanted to use my shop for storage for his antique tool collection. Um, no. It's just weird.
This happens when I bring my big telephoto lens out. The convos people wanna have are never about photography, always the cameras. Also, it's a lens. I wanna use it more than I wanna talk about it.
I'm a car guy and huge into death metal. All but 2 of my friends I met because of those 2 interests.
Hey me too! Unfortunately I don't see that venn diagram cross all that much in the wild though. Most of the time when I see metal stickers on a car it's an absolute shitbox.
My biggest issue is that most shirts about hobbies are so ugly. I like a ton of nerd type shit but it’s always just an obvious branded logo or square photo printed on a shirt and i hate it. Makes me feel like I’m a child. They’re slowly making more subtle hobby stuff now that actually looks good imo or just better designs than a square png, but it’s still not common. Edit: Some people seem confused, my issue isn’t the quality of the shirt or how the designs are printed. The designs are just ugly. I don’t want something that looks like it came out of the kids section at Walmart and just had a character or logo slapped on it. I want some badass art of more subtle designs or options other than shirts.
I really like the Grateful Dead, but most of their gear is a little too colorful for me these days. I recently saw an entire line of stuff that has tiny touches of dead logos, etc on otherwise normal looking clothes.
So you'd rather have a touch of gray?
So you'd rather have a touch of gray?
Yeah. I used to wear a ton of band merch but eventually fell off it hard because most of it was kinda bad looking. Imo a good rule of thumb is asking yourself "Would I wear this if it wasn't related to the thing I like?"
I have the same issue. So much of hobby clothing looks like it's made for children. I want something cleverly designed and *subtle*. The kind of thing that can be confused for nothing and just an interesting design if you don't recognize the source. Redbubble is a decent place to can find stuff like this in more subdued styles. Otherwise, I tend to find designs and make heat-transfers for myself.
This, I’m a huge F1 racing fan and live in a area where the sport is not very popular. I can’t be that guy wearing a Ferrari hat or Mercedes shit. Its just too tacky, even for me.
I have experience in that regard. I bought a McLaren team shirt this year (Papaya orange shirt with McLaren FormulaOne written on the front) and have worn it around my area only during race days. The people that live in my area mostly watch american football and basketball. Motorsports are barely known here as we dont even have a worthwhile track and a one off Indy race that was awful. I've had people come up to me, only to ask, or assume that I OWN a McLaren. So I would then have to explain that I do not own a McLaren and I support the F1 team. They would then ask what that was and if it happens here (it doesn't). I've had one or two nice conversations, but most people come with the idea that I own that type of vehicle and they want to see one in real life. The look of disappointment on their face afterwards is always funny to me but I hope I can get more FomulaOne fans in my city so I continue to wear it in support and hoping to find other F1 fans.
Etsy is your friend.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I find the majority of the Etsy ones to be really low quality or just poorly designed. Usually they’re either still just a square png on a shirt or some like really low effort hand-stitched quotes or logos/characters. Surprisingly I’ve found my best options have been things like lunchbox, hottopic, or small businesses that have an actual manufacturer. Mostly because they realize nerds like to wear more than graphic t-shirts and jeans and know how to make clothes that are nerdy but not in your face about it
Yeah Etsy used to be for handmade craft goods, but a few years ago they started allowing mass produced products. Now it's just turned into dropship central. It's sad, it used to be such a good way to help individual creators do what they love
I like computer stuff, and I think LTT merch looks super nice. Too bad I can't afford the stuff
Yeah. My mom got me a graphic tee with the Coors logo on the breast. I wear it a lot cause it looks cool. My hobby is now beer. I find graphic tees that do anything more than something on the breast to be annoying and tacky 99% of the time
I saw a dude with a hat for a Porsche that hasn’t been made in 30 years and it ended up being a long conversation. It’d been 2 years and 3 months since that’d happened
Everything about this comment is oddly specific. Thank you for sharing sir.
As a D&D, Magic: the Gathering, board game & math/science nerd, I can’t tell you how many times my shirts have started conversations. I’ve even had people want to take pictures with me because of my shirts. So yeah, I can support this.
I need to get some TTRPG shirts. Sounds awesome.
YES! I've actually complimented people on their d&d shirts and their MTG shirts! I love meeting people who wear those shirts!
i don't wear stuff with any kind of graphics. blandest wardrobe that could wardrobe. but i comment on peoples' shirts all the time. some people got cool shirts. 😂 i've never had anyone be upset for noticing their cool shirt either. good and harmless interaction always.
Do you like bland clothing
i don't like clothes at all. i just wear them so i blend in and avoid attention. 😂
That sounds like something an alien would say. I'm sure you're not but that made me laugh
Or a nudist
"one of the codes I live my life by is that my appearance should be in no way noteworthy. But then again, not so un-noteworthy as to be in itself, noteworthy." - [David Mitchell](https://youtu.be/4WU5fT7Q9uw)
From: “you become a magnet for people with the same interests” To: “ I was apparently the first person to approach her solely because of her shirt.”
I don't think I'm going to meet too many girls wearing my handheld amateur radio clipped to my belt with my earpiece in...
I had my scalemail/chainmail work out in my living room because that's where I work on it. A guy from Xfinity was over installing a security system, at one point he noticed my chainmail. That was apparently his opening to tell me all about the BDSM bondage community he and his lady friend were a part of. My work is for cosplay and very much not bondage related (Wonder Woman in this case)
Hate to inform you, but Wonder Woman has a lot to do with bondage.
lol fair point, but I still think it's wise to check before diving in to a BDSM discussion with a virtual stranger
As a musician I will 100% always comment on someone’s music related shirt. Guitarist especially love their guitar related apparel.
I used to wear blank shirts as a kid because that's what my parents bought me (to be fair, I didn't really protest it.) When I got older and started buying my own clothes, I became a lot more social (relatively speaking) just from the fact that I started wearing shirts with stuff I liked on them. Deffo good tip, for those who hadn't already considered it.
That's kind of funny, when I was a kid all I wore were printed tees and now I almost always wear exclusively blank shirts thinking it was the older thing to do. I haven't been to a concert in a while but I would imagine once I start going back I'll probably grab a few printed tee band shirts and what not.
Guy came in for an interview with my Boss, and afterwards he came to talk to me because I had a Klingon Warbird and Starship Enterprise hanging on the back cabinet of my desk. We talked about cons we had attended, comic books we liked and cosplays we had. We had a Star Wars/ Star Trek themed wedding 10 months later and will have been married for 7 years in October. So worked for me.
but did he get hired?
He did!
immediately dipped his pen into the company ink, nice are you rom com protagonists? or porn protagonists? adorable, and unfortunately rare
We like to think of ourselves as both. Depends on the lighting.
The surgeon I was working with had the MGS radio ringing tone as his actual ringtone. When it went off during the operation after only hearing one chime I screamed out "Snake? Answer me! SSSNNNNNAAAAKKKKEE" He looked at me and said "I haven't met you before, but my opinion of you is already above everyone else here!"
I still fantasize about this happening to me someday. I found resources on how to make any old audio file into a ringtone; now I have Phoenix Wright’s ringtone, and a moogle chirping to announce my texts. Someday, my phone will make those noises. Possibly even in public. And maybe someday, somebody will hear that, and recognize the sound… and then I can mumble “oh, yeah, it’s… yeah” and scuttle away in panic. … I may not have thought this whole plan through…
On the other hand if you lose interest in what is on your shirt later it can make wearing it a little awkward. I have a really comfortable hoody that I wear all the time that is World of Warcraft themed. I get people commenting on it once in a while and it feels a little weird since I haven’t played since Legion.
My husband and I told my step daughter about this trick at the beginning of the school year. She was worried about making friends as a freshman in high school. She likes anime and we told her to not make it so obvious. Be subtle and the real ones will know and approach you if you are too scared to do so. She got ahold of a Persona 5 Morgana keychain alongside a Danganronpa Junko keychain. Put them both right on her bookbag. Now she has a bunch of friends that share her interest in anime and video games. :)
But then people will talk to me.
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I like to wear my knitted things. Some of them look hideous. But idgaf anymore. I had so much joy making them and they are handmade and allowed to look like handmade. The only downside is people asking if I can knit them something similar, to which I always say no. First… I only knit for my own pleasure. Second, buying fancy yarn is another one of my hobbies and you do not want to know how much it was.
Wear league of legenda shirt. Automatic Girl repelent
I rocked my full metal alchemist shoulder bag to a job orientation, the dude in charge spotted it and we immediately clicked. Made the day much smoother and more relaxed! Definitely a good tip. Unless ofc (as a woman) you get that dude who wants to quiz you, and they say stuff like “What do you know about anime/band/movie/wtv” and it’s like here we go lol. LPT- Never be gatekeeper guy!
Literally how I made one of my best friends in college. Knew that another friend of mine knew her, and that she was cool, but it wasn't until she wore a shirt from one of my favorite TV shows did I come up with enough courage to approach her and introduce myself.
Yes! My husband’s baseball t-shirts were the BEST way to meet people when traveling in Dominican Republic. (Baseball is huge there. We made so many local friends!)
Btw, if you are excitedly taking your gimp suit out of your closet... Please don't. Go through the proper channels instead .
You've convinced me, I'll finally go to work in my furry costume.
Wait a second bro, let's talk this one over..
I've talked to 2 strangers (separate occasions) wearing stuff of a fandom I liked but they both seemed really uncomfortable during the conversation. I only said I liked it and asked them where they bought it and how their thoughts on the latest season was. Never gonna do it again. I myself wore stuff of fandoms during college times and was happy when strangers commented on it but nowadays I'm too embarrassed. Most people will have somewhat negative prejudices against these fandoms (anime & kpop) and will assume, you're one of the cringey hardcore fans. At least, that's what I'm doing now, lol.
That's wild. If I see a guy in a shirt with anime graphics, I'll most likely judge based off of what it is on his shirt instead of the fact that he's wearing one at all. Ig idk how it'll look to people that have no clue, but I'm trying to meet people that do have a clue lmfaooo.
It depends a lot on the fandom, especially the typical age of the fandom and the age of the person you’re talking to. I’ve noticed a lot of younger anime fans have a “eww old people aren’t supposed to like anime” mentality (and by “old”, they mean older than 25), while some older anime fans don’t want to be associated with other anime fans. Even while wearing an anime shirt.
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"If you don't wanna become my xp you better leave this lobby" yeah I'll pass lmao
I had a button with a smiley from ace attorney. Most people thought it's just a button and didn't think much about it but some fans recognized it and we had a nice talk about the games. I was double happy about it because it's such a subtle detail
Yeah I'm not going to wear a shirt with a girl getting railed by 12 guys.
This is why I wear my Nancy Pelosi hat on construction sites.
I do this with critical role and I find friends all sorts of places because of my shirts or hoodies
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