Followup to yesterday
Nov. 26th, 2025 07:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khitteeI got to meetup with my BattleTech group last night and I am feeling better about things. Apparently {remaining guy} is on the Mod watchlist now, I was not the only non-male person who expressed that the server was no longer a safe place and perhaps it was time to leave, and they don't want it to turn into a 'Boy's club'. I also learned that {remaining guy} isn't popular with our group in specific, and for many of the reasons he displayed on the server- apparently this is how he is in person as well.
Lovely.
And let's be super clear- I play with the LGBTQ+ boardgames group on Tuesdays, not the Battletechers. We have some "socially awkward"/autistic folks (mostly guys) who could make a room full of Colorado School of Mines Engineers look neurotypical.
Those guys get games every single day they come. Some of them have people waiting to get a game with them.
It's not because they magically got less socially awkward, though some of them have apparently made outside friends here. Some of them still struggle quite a bit with interacting, because social cues can be hard, especially in a fringe setting like an LGBTQ+ group where coded language is common. But you know what really helped? NAMETAGS where people put their (gasp!) name they want to be called! And their pronouns!
We have 2 guys with the same name who are both really sweet, super good at games, very autistic, and very bad at introducing themselves and getting others to join them. I may have started a rumor that if you want a fun game you should get one of the SAMENAME guys to join you. Apparently some of the other less socially adept guys now have the same reputation.
And all they had to do was put forth a little good faith and make an attempt to make a friendly connection.
I'm not buying the 'socially awkward' excuse, if you're that bad at understanding how to interact with other people as an adult, it's likely deliberate. They obviously have enough time and disposable income to play Battletech and travel to games. That indicates a job. They can get by socially well enough to keep a job, which means they understand how to not be an asshole to people at work, so it's a choice to be a dick here.
So I stand by my statement from yesterday. I picked the correct Periphery state. We are Ares Compliant. If we meet in person, and I see this behavior around my people, I promise, you will wish I had decided to be a Taurian. I don't always have energy to game, but by Blake's weeping ghost, I will make sure to give you the full Canopus experience, and you'll wish you'd just gotten nuked instead.
Lovely.
And let's be super clear- I play with the LGBTQ+ boardgames group on Tuesdays, not the Battletechers. We have some "socially awkward"/autistic folks (mostly guys) who could make a room full of Colorado School of Mines Engineers look neurotypical.
Those guys get games every single day they come. Some of them have people waiting to get a game with them.
It's not because they magically got less socially awkward, though some of them have apparently made outside friends here. Some of them still struggle quite a bit with interacting, because social cues can be hard, especially in a fringe setting like an LGBTQ+ group where coded language is common. But you know what really helped? NAMETAGS where people put their (gasp!) name they want to be called! And their pronouns!
We have 2 guys with the same name who are both really sweet, super good at games, very autistic, and very bad at introducing themselves and getting others to join them. I may have started a rumor that if you want a fun game you should get one of the SAMENAME guys to join you. Apparently some of the other less socially adept guys now have the same reputation.
And all they had to do was put forth a little good faith and make an attempt to make a friendly connection.
I'm not buying the 'socially awkward' excuse, if you're that bad at understanding how to interact with other people as an adult, it's likely deliberate. They obviously have enough time and disposable income to play Battletech and travel to games. That indicates a job. They can get by socially well enough to keep a job, which means they understand how to not be an asshole to people at work, so it's a choice to be a dick here.
So I stand by my statement from yesterday. I picked the correct Periphery state. We are Ares Compliant. If we meet in person, and I see this behavior around my people, I promise, you will wish I had decided to be a Taurian. I don't always have energy to game, but by Blake's weeping ghost, I will make sure to give you the full Canopus experience, and you'll wish you'd just gotten nuked instead.
