Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, July 31, 2024

[sith_happened]

Did the world need a gremlin running around the park with a lit torch? Probably not, but he'd showed up with a lit torch and Anakin had chosen the path of not arguing about it. "Welcome to Fandom Olympics!" he announced instead through his--as always--completely unnecessary bullhorn. "The events you are participating in were chosen at random last night by five porgs spinning a wheel on which all Olympic events were listed. I am calling it the most modern pentathalon!"

If the pause was for applause, he'd be waiting a bit.

"Listen for your names! No powers!"

TEAM TEAL
Vi
Eleanor
Arthur
Rey

TEAM WHITE
Kamala
Arden
Stewart
Gray

TEAM PINK
Steve M
Mariner
Thor
Yukuri

TEAM BLUE
Lydia
Jon
Lana
Steve R

TEAM GREEN
Navaan
Miguel
Dean
Beaker

Comments

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh I remember looking at some of that in the workbook I had for the test," Arden said. "It's more like trying to read than count. I thought it might be interesting to learn sometime, but I didn't have time, so I mostly stuck with geometry and hoped that that'd be enough."

She sighed and shrugged. "So what does it mean to be accomplished? Are you supposed to win awards or something?"

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[mustbeawitch]

"It's more about...having the right skills to demonstrate that one is a proper lady," Lydia tried to explain. "So you can attract a good husband." Because Lydia was from 1810. "It probably sounds very silly to you."

Honestly, Lydia had long thought there was something off about the whole business. A lady's accomplishments were expected to include all sorts of things that could be checked at social events, like singing and dancing and speaking French, but there was no real way for a gentleman to politely discover whether or not a potential bride, say, knew enough math to keep the housekeeper from stealing.

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Yeah, Arden's face certainly, uh, had an expression about that. "So it would be one thing if you were learning for yourself or even just because it was expected for everyone so that everyone had a base level of education..." She trailed off with a small shake of her head. "So what did men have to learn to make them attractive to women?"

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia laughed merrily at that question and then answered it. "Oh, a man just has to have enough money--and ideally an estate--to support a wife comfortably."

That was it. Just ask Charlotte Lucas.

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden just shook her head. "Dear goddess have men needed to be held accountable for just...so long. So, so long. So you had to take lessons to prove to some guy that you can speak four lessons and play the piano and do whatever else and he's just gotta, like, flash you what's in his wallet? That's bullshit. Y'all deserve way better."

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[mustbeawitch]

"Perhaps," Lydia sighed, "but it's not as if I can do anything about it. I couldn't even--" marry well, she almost said, but then she stopped herself and said, "I don't expect any of my rather paltry accomplishments shall do me any good today."

Perhaps if they were waltzing instead of breakdancing.

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"If it helps, I don't expect any of mine will, either," Arden agreed, then held her fist out for a bump. "Paltry accomplishment girls, woo."

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia looked in polite confusion at Arden's fist. "I must admit I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here."

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Make a fist and hold it out like I am," Arden said. "It's a fist bump. Like...a thing you do when you agree with someone. Sometimes as a greeting. I guess it's like, a way of signifying kinship, maybe?"

She had never had to sit down and explain this.

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[mustbeawitch]

Lydia made a fist of her own and held it out awkwardly. "I know a handshake is meant to demonstrate that both gentlemen are not armed," she offered. "Or...people, I suppose, in this time." Still weird!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Dooooown!

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden gently reached out and tapped her fist against Lydia's. "A fistbump," she said. "Maybe something like a guy would clap somebody on the back? Is that something people did back in your time?" Maybe Lydia would write this in her guide. It could go into the etiquette section. Oh! Which reminded her... "It's consider bad form to leave someone unbumped if they put their hand out like this. It's like a snub, I guess? Same if you leave someone hanging for a high five."

Already anticipating Lydia's confusion and held up her hand for a high five. "You hit my palm with yours. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make a noise."

Things neither of them planned on discussing today.