Oh boy this is a long one.

Okay, so here’s the thing. I (28F) have a family dinner every month, and every single time, it’s a total disaster. My family isn’t terrible, but they’re... unique. The problem is that my uncle (45M) is really into conspiracy theories, my aunt (40F) has been trying to “fix” my love life for years, and my cousin (18M) has this weird obsession with being the "cool guy" at family events. It's always uncomfortable, and I dread it.

Last month, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of sitting through awkward silences, listening to my uncle talk about how the moon landing was faked, and hearing my cousin talk about how everyone else is “so lame” compared to his social media persona. So, I did something... well, let's say “out of character.”

I showed up to the dinner, sat down at the table, and casually mentioned that I had just returned from 2040. I said I was a time traveler and that the world was very different in the future. I claimed that I was from a future where we had flying cars, AI had taken over, and everyone communicated telepathically. Naturally, my family didn't believe me at first. But then, I kept dropping these bizarre “future facts” that were vague enough to sound plausible, like how “technology had improved human relationships in unexpected ways” and “the food in 2040 is healthier, but much weirder—like vegan steak that tastes like actual steak.”

As the night went on, I completely leaned into the persona. I spoke in an overly mysterious tone and pretended to struggle with the concept of "past technology," like a confused time traveler from the future. My uncle bought into it, and my cousin thought it was hilarious and started asking all kinds of questions about how the future’s social media works. It was a huge hit—people were so distracted by my “future knowledge” that they completely forgot about all the usual uncomfortable topics. I could see the relief on everyone’s face that they weren’t forced to talk about their usual mess.

But here’s where I might have gone too far: When my aunt asked me about my personal life (because she’s always prying), I gave a very vague response about how relationships in the future are “non-traditional” and that I couldn’t explain everything. She then pressed me for more details, and I had to make up more stuff, like how “time travelers don’t settle down the same way you do” and “the whole idea of marriage isn’t really a thing anymore.” I could see her eyes light up with disbelief, but she was too curious to argue.

The night ended with my family still talking about how amazing it was that I was a time traveler, and I left feeling pretty pleased with myself. I had successfully avoided all the awkward conversations and weird questions.

Now, though, I’m feeling conflicted. It was fun and I avoided an uncomfortable dinner, but did I take things too far? I don’t want my family to think I’m a liar or worse, that I’m just pretending to be someone I’m not. I also kind of want to tell them the truth before this becomes a weird thing that keeps coming up at every dinner, but I’m honestly kind of enjoying the persona at this point.

So Reddit—AITA for pretending to be a time traveler just to avoid an awkward family dinner?