Thanks, guys.

Oooh! Deb, that sounds fab. Maybe I'll bring the Pack n Play.

Aimee, yep - put her where it's shady and cool right within sight but out of the direct sun, and let her doze off while we're eating, talking, drinking, hanging out, making music.

Man, you guys are frelling with Jilli's childhood here. She will be pissed with you. For heaven's sake don't do this at the reading because you'll cross one of Jilli's lines.

Totally Jilli's pick then!

Jilli, is Kanga a) widow; b) lesbian; or c) trampy little thing

Jilli, is Kanga a) widow; b) lesbian; or c) trampy little thing

Kanga is Kanga, and that is that.

Um, this is a warning about Me and My Issues, but in my world, characters from beloved childrens' books and stuffed animals are not sexual beings. At all. Even a little bit.The characters may have babies (like Kanga and Roo), but those babies were left by the stork, or found under a cabbage leaf. This is a hardwired thing in my brain, and people trying to have discussions with me, even jokingly, about stuffed animals or characters from the Pooh books having sex lives or being sexual in any way squicks me and makes me very angry and upset. So, I'm going to go away from this thread for a bit before I lose my temper. I'm sorry.

Jilli, that makes perfect sense and I don't know why it didn't occur to me. It is absolutely obvious.

(Pete! If she's gone tell her to come back! I have seen the error of my ways!)

I totally and completely understand Jilli's squick. It's the same squick that makes me run away, fingers in my ears, screaming lalalalalala, from people who even mention to me that such things as Narnia and Oz and A Little Princess fic exist (unless it's strictly gen and exceptionally well-written).

More adventures with sword-wielding talking mice and daring escapes across windswept deserts to the North of fruitfulness and freedom, great. More stories about late-night communications across the dingy London rooftops with the Hindu man who reminds Sara of her early childhood, full of muslin dresses and parasols and the hot Indian sun and both her parents still alive and the world a good and safe place, oh my yes. Any fic that so much as implies any of these characters growing up and having Teh Sex, I don't even care with who, NO NO NO.

I can't let myself think about Calvin and Hobbes fic or it gets me completely distressed, and if there's E. Nesbit fic, I don't ever, ever, ever want to hear about it. Nuh and uh.

Though I do think it's - barely - conceivable that Kanga might be a widow, who never speaks of Roo's papa but wipes away a silent tear every now and then after Roo is safely tucked in his pouch. Widows are so very kindly and noble and respectable.

Any fic that so much as implies any of these characters growing up and having Teh Sex, I don't even care with who, NO NO NO.

But The Horse and His Boy with a grownup Queen Susan being courted was alright, yes?

Honestly, I've been very scared of something like this. That is, people grouping with people they know and breaking off into groups. It's made me loath to commit to things because I'm afraid I'll just end up feeling a bit lonely.

Never gonna happen. The DC F2F was Maria's (MFNLaw) first F2F, and I noticed her sitting off to the side a bit in the hospitality suite, and so I went over and introduced myself and started gushing about how gorgeous she is, and then started introducing her to everyone else, and she was immediately swept up in the socialness.

I mean, we might shun you if you start poking people in the eye, but even then, it's doubtful.

It's as I always suspected; JZ and I are long-lost sisters.