No one's been condescending, or aggressive, or negative at all. Frankly, I'm pretty surprised that OA didn't just chew your face off. He does that a lot.
As you've read, it's never a very good idea to make your character concept reliant upon being in a cabal or tribunal (or even religion, sometimes). Sometimes you can bust your [REDACTED] all you like trying to get into the Harlequins, but you'll end up having to settle for the Adepts (I know of at least two characters that definitely did this, and more that are almost definitely Harlequin rejects). The Harlequins hold all the cards, that's how they're supposed to be. If they don't want you, they'll tell you to [REDACTED] off. The Midnight Council is the Imperial Elite, and if they don't think you're grade-A material, they'll toss you out on your backside. You can see how the same applies for all tribunals and cabals, including the Adepts, or at least if they existed.
Sometimes it's best to just wait for a bit, make some friends in the right places, and maybe ask again. Just walking up to someone and saying "Hi, I'm so-and-so, I'd like to be a such-and-such" won't get you anywhere AT ALL. As a matter of fact, if you really want to get your character into a certain organisation, you should NEVER announce your intentions. Instead, hang out in the general areas that the organisations frequent (Teron, Exile, Menegroth, etc). Make conversation, ask for a bit of advice on where to train, ask if they know where you can get such-and-such a type of sword, and see if you can guess what their affiliation is, and eventually you'll be able to use your new friend to score some points with the guys up top.
Some of the best characters are neutral. Othet is a prime example. He couldn't PK, wasn't in any group, but he was still probably one of the best characters we've had, ever. Making characters is often a hit-and-miss arrangement. If you're still having trouble, feel free to YIM someone who might know what they're talking about, or if that doesn't work, try me.
By the way, I wish Othet would come back to SK. I hope his finals are over soon.