Let's think about this.

Having had time to study my au_bingo card, I'm mostly wondering what possessed me not to strike "Western". Arrrrrgh. What do I do with that? Do I give in and write Sam the Freedman's Bureau employee/counselor and falconer on the side, and Steve, his quiet, charismatic artist friend who came west/south because he's dying of tuberculosis and this is an attempt to stave it off? Something something something orphaned birds! Something something something badness something something something I lack a plot. I've been wanting to write that for ages, but I haven't because I fear I won't do it justice! Maybe I should just dive in.

For "Alternate History: Someone Never Died" I obviously need to do a quick canon review and then write Dil and her epic struggle against LONG SLEEVES. NO NO NO NOT THAT. I could probably write it even without the review, but review is safest.

For "Historical: Feudal Japan", I need to find stuff on daily life for the artisan class and children in... ... .... ....Some arbitrarily chosen point within this broad time range, and then write the Yotsuba!& story that is basically the comic, only several centuries earlier.

For "Other: Prison" I seem to be leaning towards classic New Mutants and more specifically Dani Moonstar: Mutant Political Dissident and Rahne Sinclair, still freaked about being a mutant and in vast denial meeting her, giant girl crush and politics ensue. Yeah, I need to review canon for that too.

For "Other: Crossover", I think I'll mash up G1 Transformers and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Because! Aang and Beachcomber. Think about it! Aang and Beachcomber. Also, they'd have crash landed in the Fire Nation, I think, what with all the volcanoes, and I enjoy making Zuko cry.

"Other: Film Noir" really needs to be XXXHolic. I'm still working out my thoughts on that one.

Aaaaand that is what I have so far.

A Day at the Public Pool

The public pool that my cousins patronize is completely awesome. It's got a water slide, a small shallow lane area, a totally fantastic small kid shallow section, and a lazy river. All indoors, all connected.

Sofun.

So! There I was, having acquired an inner tube and gotten aboard, splashing my way to the lazy river. This was taking a while and being a bit awkward, because the pool was busy and full of children and young teenagers who weren't too good about not diving in front of people and whom I did not want to kick in the face. But I was enjoying myself. Lots of laughing and beaming at everyone.

A woman comes up and says, "You look like you could use some help."

I blinked, fended off the side with a foot, and said, "No, I'm fine. I've got it."

Now, the inner tubes that belong to the pool? Have handles. These handles are supposed to be the end where you stick your feet. Being the rigorous follower of safety regulations that I am, I had done just that. The woman said, "I think you need help," reached out, grabbed one of these handles, and started pulling me.

For several seconds all I could think was, "This is a different kind of ablism than I usually get!"

What I actually said, after a brief mental image of kicking her intruded, was, "Ma'am, please stop. I can do it myself, and I was having fun."

She looked like I had kicked her, said "Oh," and waded away.

I, slightly out of sorts, made my way into the current and floated triumphantly onward. Until I got bored and wandered off to play with water spouts and a beach ball.

I suspect she just wanted in on the fun. But I didn't realize that until after the interaction had ended, because she didn't phrase it that way.

Everyone! If you want to play with people, say, "Can I play too?" or "Can I play with you?" Don't say, "You need help," because frankly, you're a lot less likely to get someone to play with you if they think you want to help them, because probably? They don't need help, even if they might be happy to play.