fandomtownies | Chilly Boulder, Saturday Afternoon

So, originally, the plan had been for Karla, Warren, and all three children to show up at Fandom this weekend and do the whole reunion thing. They'd see old friends, show Nyles and Cora the island, and take a ridiculous number of pictures commemorating things that really didn't need to be commemorated. And then, last night, Cora had come into Karla's parlor before bedtime complaining that she didn't feel good. And then had promptly thrown up. Nyles, who had been a footstep behind her, managed to keep down his dinner, but was flushed and feverish.

Long story short, Cora and Nyles had come down with chicken pox. And as much as Karla would have liked to simply Heal them and be done with it, getting chicken pox now meant they wouldn't get worse illnesses later, and so Warren and Karla reluctantly agreed to let them stick it out. And that clearly meant that at least one parent needed to stay with them. But Kayla, being far too young, needed to be kept away. And so, after a spirited game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, (best two out of three, and no, Warren, she didn't cheat), Karla had ended up being the one who got to take Kayla away to the island for the weekend, while Warren and his healing factor took care of two thoroughly miserable children.

On the other hand, now Karla at least had a good excuse to take a million pictures? Like the ones she was taking now, of Kayla smearing vanilla ice cream all over her face as she attempted to spoon it into her mouth. Thank the Darkness for data plans.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Leda nodded, smiling, and took a sip of her coffee shake. Mmmm.

"So, Chicken Pox, I'm gonna guess that the whole 'don't scratch or you'll turn into a chicken' isn't true right? Well maybe here it is."

"On this island? Anything is possible," Karla agreed wryly. "More like, 'don't scratch or you'll scar and spread it further.' Did you really hear that you'd somehow turn into a chicken?"

She'd said it before and she'd say it again: Faerie was very weird.

She hadn't heard that in Faerie. But yeah, totally weird.

"I correspond some with the Elves that live in the Human world." Leda nodded. "One's been doing studies on Human folklore, and one of the bits she relayed to me was the thing about the chicken pox. Humans come up with some odd ideas. Though it's possible it really is a joke."

"Mother Night, I hope so," Karla said, shaking her head. "But honestly, this world? I can never tell what's a sincere belief and what is just someone pushing to see how gullible the rest are."

"Oh Gods yes." Leda sighed. "And the internet doesn't help. That same Elf I told you about, she spends like, half her time debunking all sorts of sh...stuff that some idiot posts online about the Fae. Half of it not even the nonsense they've believed about us for centuries. Things some nut just made up."

"With the resurgence of fantasy, you get the resurgence of idiocy," Karla said, with sympathy--but also real amusement. "What kind of stuff is she debunking? Tell her to not go overboard on it. Some of that stuff might be useful to have idiots believe."

Leda snickered. "I did tell her she should've let people go on thinking David Bowie was an Elf. But like, apparently someone decided that Elves' blood is silver. That kinda creeped us out, like, that could get bad if people believed that. There's a meme that mis-translates Elvish so like, people might think they're saying something really romantic when it's actually telling someone off or even threatening them."

"Get a couple of Elves you trust out in the human world and have the teach at universities," Karla suggested. "Not only will you be able to debunk the worst of the bullshit, but you can also put out the information you want people to know."

It was like propaganda, but in education!

Leda nodded enthusiastically. "I've been pushing for that actually! That girl I was talking about says she might be interested in at least doing like a lecture tour, and there's a guy already teaching at Oxnard. No, Oxford."

Let's see, what else...

"Oh! This is sort of funny; there's people freaking and claiming that the President of the United States is an Elf. And someone said that one of the dudes running to replace him is a Troll."

Karla was out of the loop on American politics--hadn't been interested even as a student, save to be frustrated at how backwards they all were. But she remembered her Civics class well-enough. "That raises an interesting point," she said. "If it's an Elf or a Troll who was born in the States, they could technically run, couldn't they?"

Karla, it had been a joke.

"I believe her reaction to the Elf thing was '1. No he isn't, and 2. Even if he was, so what?'" Leda said. "But yeah as I understand it that's how it works. Or, they have to be born a citizen. I don't think any of the Elves in the US are citizens though."

Leda knew it had been a joke, well the Troll thing. Probably. But she was totally willing to discuss it as if it were serious.

"Elven-American, now that would be interesting," Karla said with a small laugh. "I forget, does Bordertown count as being American? Or is it more like a diplomatic embassy kind of thing."

"Bordertown's it's own entity. Since it kinda connects to everywhere, no one can claim it. Like there's folks who've gotten there from Europe and other places like that.

"Which has, I hear, been giving Disney a headache and a half because of people putting on productions of Disney movies without permission."

"I love that Bordertown is accessible from literally anywhere, but it's that it's frustrating to Disney that you mention!" Karla said, laughing.

Leda giggled. "The manager of the Magic Lantern, that's the biggest theater in B-town has wallpapered his office with notices from them."

"I love a man who gives no fucks," Karla said with a snort.

"He's a good guy." Leda agreed. "He's one of those who managed to see past his own privileged upbringing and try to make things better, if only in his own small way. He also helps run a shelter/rehab clinic."

"I was being sincere!" Karla assured her. "Anyone who takes notices from a corporation and uses them as decor is okay by me!"

"Oh I know, I was just building on that." Then she sighed. "I do feel sorry for our ambassador though. He seems to be taking the brunt of their yelling. He just can't seem to get it through to him that Faerie has no jurisdiction in Bordertown either."

"Most politicians seem to be confused with the idea that anyone isn't trying to snap up as much political power as possible." Karla laughed. "Just imagine sending an ambassador to Glacia. He'd probably be grateful to go back to Earth!"

"Or they'd be so glad to find a society that had proper respect for protocol and tradition. You know, until they met you."

Karla cackled at that. "I will have you know, I am a motherfucking delight."

"Of course you are dear." Leda said, doing an understandably good imitation of herself at 1000. She even patted Karla's hand. "And you're such a good influence on your peers. Like me." It was funny because she could say that as a joke, and still be absolutely sincere.

Chilly Boulder, Saturday Afternoon

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject