Fandom vs. The Real World- 2nd Period- Class #1

[can_be_more]

When the students got to class, they'd find a young woman, dressed in black, watching everyone as they took their seats as if assessing her assignment. Or maybe she was wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Either one.

"Welcome to class. This is Fandom vs. The Real World. If you are not supposed to be in this class, now would be the time to leave. No one probably knows your name yet to think badly of you.

"My name is Aeryn Sun," she introduced herself. "To give you a bit of background, I was one of the first students at this school, and therefore you will get no pity from me. We had to learn about bites and invasions and people getting possessed all on our own." They also had to walk two miles uphill in the snow. Each way. "And if any of you are feeling alarmed by anything I just said, oh, just wait. I should probably also tell you straight off that I am not human. I'm Sebacean, and till a few cycles back, was a member of the Peacekeeper military. I was here for two years before I graduated, and there was never a dull moment. This is both a blessing and a curse. Since graduating, I've been living in Cambridge with my family, and in case you're one of the people not from here originally, it's quite a bit different out there than it is in Fandom. I'm sure those of you from a 'normal' place have already noticed this.

"I don't know yet how many of you are brand new to Fandom, and if you've been around a while, bear with me while I explain a few things to the new students. You're probably figuring out by now that the things you've been hearing since Saturday is true. Most of it. I'm sure people slip at least one or two untrue things in. Regardless, this is a unique place, and since I'm assuming none of you have tried to run screaming yet, I'll take it for granted that you're here for a while, and hopefully we can make the transition a bit easier.

"On the other hand, when you're used to being from someplace where this sort of thing is normal, where you're used to different species wandering around, where portals don't faze you and you're perfectly at ease flying a ship when the locals don't drive anything that leaves the ground. At times, you will venture out into that world. There are field trips, or you may pay a visit to a friend's home, and at that point, the things that are perfectly normal here suddenly have nearly no basis there. We will cover that, too. Because going out into that with no knowledge is frelling hard. Wherever you come from, it's all right to find it abnormal, or maybe even a little scary at first. You're just going to have to get over it.

"Rather than barrage you with too much information, we're going to start with the continued introductions you'll be sick of by the end of the week," said Aeryn. "I want you each to tell me your name, where and when you're from, and the strangest thing you've heard or experienced since you've been here. You first."

Comments

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss. I'm Karla," she said, with a small wave. "I come from the Territory of Glacia in the Realm of Kaeleer. And the weirdest thing was the day when the males flipped gender. That's--that's--" at a loss for words, she just sank down and shook her head. "Not. Okay."

Yeah, males gender-swapping could have some interesting implications when you're from a matriarchy.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

Azula stared.

"Flipping genders. You mean--" she couldn't complete the sentence.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Yes," Karla said, shuddering. "It was horrible. All the males were females for a day."

She didn't even bring up the possibility of the reverse happening. Because it wouldn't, if Karla had to stave it off by pure will alone.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

Too late, Azula's mind already went there.

"You mean," she began, looking disturbed, "it's possible for women changing genders too?"

She was going to destroy Zuko if this happened.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Yeah, that earned Azula a dagger glare, one that quite clearly read 'I was happily not thinking about that!'

"I don't know," she said with a slight edge to her voice, "it hasn't happened yet. So one can still live in hope."

And when if it happened, Karla was going to lock herself away all day long. Definitely Not Dirty.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

She was a genius. Sometimes she can't help that her mind leaps to logical conclusions.

"Or possibly somewhere very far from the island," Azula suggested.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Doesn't help," Karla responded flatly. "This affected people from all over, whether they were on the island or not. As long as there was a connection, they got turned. This means people in other times and on other worlds, too."

Telling Azula that there was no hope actually made Karla feel a little bit better. If Azula had to go and mention That Which Should Never Be Spoken Of, the least Karla could do was let her know that she would be targetted, too.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

And that was a scowl. "What."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Exactly."

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"Excuse me, I have a brother to kill."

Whatever happened to the ability to adapt to anything?

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Karla gave her a wicked grin. "Take your time."

Darkness knew that if she could figure out who was behind that, she'd kill them, too.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"Believe me, when I see him I will."

She pulled a face but added eventually, "I think I'd be more forgiving if I knew he placed me here deliberately to punish me but chances are he didn't even know."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"You'd be more forgiving if it were deliberate?" Karla asked.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps even impressed."

Yes, she means it.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Huh." Karla pondered that one. "So...if it's simply an overlook on his part, it's an insult. But if it's deliberate, then it's a well-thought out tactical move on his part?" She and Morton played games like that.

Not to the extent Azula did, though.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Azula nodded and added in disgust, "but knowing him it wasn't even intentional."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Males aren't always the brightest of creatures," she said with an understanding smile.

Re: Introductions

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"More so in my brother's case," she said with a roll of her eyes. "He's sentimental."

Re: Introductions

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Hey! I was a very cute girl!" Jon insisted, laughing. "I would have totally dated me."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Yeah, Karla would have, too. If, y'know, Jon wasn't supposed to have been a male!

"The problem is, I could feel the difference," Karla explained, deliberately staying away from comments about dating anyone. "It was so strange, the difference in your psychic scent. Like trying to focus in on a blurry image."

Re: Introductions

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Well, I apologize now for any future gender swaps the island may throw at me." Because the way some people had acted left him fairly certain that it happened more than once.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Since he kept it to 'any future gender swaps the island may throw at him,' rather than suggesting it could happen to her like some people, Jon got a friendly smile and a trilled, "Forgiven!"

Though she might still spaz when they occurred.

Re: Introductions

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Excellent!" Jon was amused by the spazzing, it was truly a Karla thing.

Re: Introductions

[can_be_more]

"Out of curiosity, why is that not okay?" Aeryn asked. "Besides the obvious." It was even less outright curiosity and more trying to figure out if there was an issue she had to be wary of.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Well, yes, there was an issue, but probably not the issue Aeryn was worried about.

"In my world," Karla said slowly, "gender is very important. Females rule, males serve and protect. And that's service, which is very different from servitude," she added, with a slight edge to her voice. Someone was getting very tired of explaining that distinction. "Gender even determines what castes you can belong to--castes are inborn traits, like gender itself. So when you swap gender around, you're really turning society on its head. It's--" she swallowed very hard, "--kind of terrifying."