minako kitsune wrote:peeks in
hiya, friends of sephy-chan figured it was time i stopped lurking and said hi. whatcha talking about? rare what?

Hello, Minako-chan! Nice to meet you. Any family of Tsu-chan's is a friend of mine.

Now, I just wanted to share what I said to the main organizer of that meetup just now. I think I did pretty well, considering. I'm adding in the previous conversation as well so it makes sense.

A, Main Meetup Organizer: I'm sorry but because of your comment I have to ask, are you over 18 years of age? Because otherwise I'm sorry but we have an age limit of 18 and up.
Sia: I am nineteen years old, I wouldn't have signed up for the group if I was younger than eighteen, I just rely on my mom for some things.
A, Main Meetup Organizer: Alright so we are just worried that it will be awkward for your mother and possibly fellow meetup members if she is just sitting in the house reading a book. If she wants to join the game or has geeky interests herself that is a different matter, she is welcome to join the group as well.
She is more then welcome to drop you off and pick you up otherwise.

We have several people who are beginners at Magic so Chris will be helping them learn the basics.

We are a well established group (feel free to look through the photos, or past meetups) of 3 years now.

We have plenty of people with anxiety or other issues (Myself included, general anxiety disorder and panic attacks) so you don't need to worry about people judging you for anything like that.

If you have any other concerns don't hesitate to ask.
Sia: (Initial Response) Thank you, but I think I'll be sitting out on the Magic for now, I didn't know it entailed going through thousands of cards and printing out sixty for a deck (or buying a bunch of card packs to make the deck). I just assumed it was something that was easier and more economical to do.

(New Response) I've given this much deliberation, and feel that I must tell you. You may understand your disorder, but that doesn't mean you understand how mine works or what my feelings are regarding meetups. Sure the nature of anxiety is similar, but if you were in my shoes you'd know that I have enough trouble talking to people when my mom is around as it is, and that without her I flounder and am on the verge of panic attacks when meeting people I don't know. This whole group is new, uncharted lands that I haven't familiarized myself with and I find myself unable to sleep at night when I think of meeting new people. Bringing my mom is a safety net in case I fall, so to speak. Without that net, I'm not going to be stepping out on a ledge since I feel that my fall won't be safe. I know logically that you're all probably nice people who I could get along with, but my brain still sends me panic signals when it involves social interaction despite this knowledge. If my mom came, she would be joining in on conversation like I would be and she would be fine and not judge anyone for their geekiness-she has her own geekiness that most humans possess (a strong, almost eccentric like/love for a certain subject or past time). I want to bring my mom with me because she is what helps me feel safe, not to make it awkward or to break rules, and if all of you can't understand that then I can't be a friend of yours.