Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part II

[bigdamnprincipal]

Some extra tables had been set up in the shade of the trees on the lawn, away from the buffet in spots where it might be less crowded and much quieter. Well, aside from the mariachi band, but at least their music was entertaining? They might even take requests!

[OCD is up, have at it! This is the FIRST post for general mingling. Please use this post first, if your browser can handle the comment load. Roommates, fake siblings and teachers are all here and there's more room for mingling here. Since it's outside, the picnic is open to all students, teachers, and townies!]

Comments

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"It's not as if it's the entirety of Europe," Ulrik said. "Just- more or less the portion that would've one day become Germany. Before the Americans it was just a collection of city-states constantly being ravaged by one mercenary army or another. They protected their territory, and started taking in refugees from the surrounding area," he shrugged. "And for some strange reason," he said in a tone that belied that he didn't really think it strange at all, "the Germans were really rather enamored of the idea of a republican government."

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

"'The United States of Europe' really did not make that clear. At all," Petra told him. "Why couldn't they just name it Germany if it's Germany?" And the part where the Americans were apparently the saviors of Europe was again with giving her the heebies, but this guy didn't get that or have the cultural context to get that, she guessed--to him the Americans were just the people who showed up and, like, completely changed everything and that was awesome.

Unfortunately, to Petra, the Americans, including herself, were frequently the people who showed up and changed everything and then it turned out to suck in new and unforeseen ways. And then the Corporation tried to kill you.

Especially because, "Yeah, that is really weird. That Europeans at that point would suddenly decide a republic sounded awesome. But you're saying it's what happened, so. Okay."

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Because it's not Germany," Ulrik explained patiently. "At best, it was the Germanies. A bunch of city-states being ruled over by squabbling Princes." He raised an eyebrow at her. "The common people, the ones whose farms were routinely burned to the ground, their women raped, their men murdered, and their children abducted to join mercenary armies were, yes, of the opinion that a group of people who actively opposed such things, and had a system of government whose leaders were actually chosen by the people they ruled over, was in fact a good thing."

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

Petra raised her eyebrow right back at him and said, "Okay, we seem to be having two different conversations now? Because okay, I totally buy that that happened," even if she still thought five years was an awfully short time for change that massive, "because I don't think you made fake money for a prank," even though she could still see some European kid (probably Kenzi) showing up here and being all, 'Oh yes, the Americans came in my universe and showed us the error of our European ways and now everything is so much better thanks to America!' just to mess with the locals. Especially since some of them might buy it. Which was ultra depressing.

"And look, I totally get, like, people thinking that sounded great. It's just that, you know, according to my history lessons if some Americans hadn't showed up with superior technology and weaponry the aristocracy wouldn't have decided it sounded like a good idea or got overthrown because they didn't decide that for at least a couple hundred more years, and a lot of modern history is Americans showing up somewhere with superior technology and weapons and going, 'hey, let us show you the light, and did we mention we have bombs.' And it's frankly gross. So I mean, great if it's working for you, although I think you're a little blase about how the history those people came from is being completely written over--thanks so much for not giving a fuck that my state and by extension me might not ever exist, by the way--but the way you're saying it happened sounds like America being imperialists again for someone else's own good, when they didn't know the way they were doing it sucked until America showed up to tell them. And name the place after themselves. Which feels gross to me. Again, great if it's working for you, I just don't like imperialism, I think it sucks. Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick here, I don't know, but, the United States of Europe?"

She was thinking about the island again, she realized, how the Corporation had taken over and shipped Tane's people out because they weren't using the place the way they thought it should be used, and then they'd completely wrecked it and, you know, turned it into a death trap.

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I never claimed I did not 'give a fuck' about your world," Ulrik countered. "But nobody knows how the Ring of Fire that brought Grantville happened or why. We're learning to live with it, up-timer and down-timer alike. They're adjusting to how the German people do things just as much as the Germans are adjusting to their ideas. The states that joined the USE did so of their own accord. In fact, the only nation conquered by anyone in recent years was my own. By the Swedes." He sighed. "I will not claim that the up-timers are saints, or even that all of them are entirely well-meaning, because that would be ludicrous. But in general, they've done more good than harm. On a rather personal level, according to an encyclopedia article I read, I was slated to die a rather brutal death what would've been three years ago from my perspective. Because of the changes brought about by the Ring of Fire, I did not. Much like you, I'm rather fond of the notion of myself existing." A beat. "I'm sorry," he added. "I did not intend to start an argument. We can change the subject, if you'd prefer."

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

Petra was still, like, completely appalled here, but.

"Wait. The Ring of Fire?"

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"The term that was coined to describe the- phenomenon, Act of God, call it what you will, that brought Grantville to Thuringia. I'm told it's because the air seemed to shimmer with some strange light at the moment the event occured."

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

"Did they go down, down, down, and the flames went higher?"

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"...What?"

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

"Did it burn, burn, burn, the ring of fire?" Petra asked innocently. If one disregarded the spark of mischief in her eyes.

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that you are teasing me?" Ulrik had to ask.

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

"I just want to know if, bound by wild desire, they fell into a ring of fire," Petra returned, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"You clearly know something that I do not," Ulrik didn't pout, exactly, but the look he gave her definitely had something petulant about it.

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[wasthecuteone]

Petra burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. "It's a Johnny Cash song!"

Re: General Mingling [Summer 2012-1]

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"I haven't had the chance to listen to very much up-time music!" Ulrik defended his ignorance, although the fact that the corner of his mouth was twitching up in a smile likely betrayed that he wasn't really upset about anything.