Culture Shock, Thursday, 5/14, Period 2

[shiroi_tiger]

When the students settled around the main campfire today, they might notice that their teacher was already sitting there and waiting for them, his arms crossed over his chest, dressed in an outfit that might even be considered fancy dress clothes... If you were looking for fancy dress clothes from America, 1876.

If Algren was going to teach a class about culture shock, he was going to demonstrate that he was just as susceptible to it as any of his students were, around here.

"I see a few new faces," he noted, remaining where he was seated as he surveyed the class. "Which, considering the subject material of this workshop, doesn't surprise me. Either the majority of you have found yourself in a place that's a far cry from the home you're used to, or you're looking to end up in such a place in the future, I'd wager." There was a pause, and Algren allowed himself a moment to look amused. "Or else there was a mix-up in the office. If that was the case, I won't judge. You might learn something here, regardless.

"This class, ladies and gents, is going to cover the several stages of culture shock, one week at a time. I'll do my best to base the course material around scenarios that will serve you well here in Fandom, but the goal when the workshop is through is to give you hands-on experience dealing with culture shock in a less... absurd environment, as well." He was allowed to call Fandom absurd, damn it. "Culture shock, for those of you who might not be familiar with the term, is what occurs when a person spends an extended period of time in a culture that is different from one's own. It isn't necessarily instantaneous, as the name suggests, but it can wreak havoc on a person's mental state and emotions, once that person begins to come to the realization that the behaviors that they're comfortable with won't necessarily get them the results that they expect in their new environment.

"I'm going to make today's class an easy one. Introductions. I want names, where you're from, one thing about Fandom that strikes you as oddly different from the place you call home, and one thing about where you come from that you think might come as a shock to people from the outside, starting with..." He pointed at a random student. "You."

A beat. "Oh, and I'm looking to fill in a second TA spot. If anyone happens to be interested in taking a little responsibility alongside Miss Sawyer in helping the class survive the term, please come and speak to me after we're finished our introductions."

[The TA slots are already chosen, but feel free to ping to Algren to attempt to win him over, if you'd like. Syllabus, rules, and class list are here!]

Comments

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"I'm Karla di Glacia. I come from the Territory of Glacia in the Realm of Kaeleer. I don't know if the oddest thing here is the lack of magic, or the..." she struggled to remember the word Claire used "...patriarchy. At home, females rule and males serve and protect." She shook her head, bewildered. "I'm still not entirely certain what your Kings and Queens do, but they aren't like Queens at home. Umm...the thing people would find odd aout Kaeleer? Beyond the female ruling thing?" She thought for a minute. "Probably that in Blood society, there is no law against murder."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"How can you not have a law against murder?" Elspeth asked.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"I'm not entirely certain why you do," Karla admitted.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"You're not sure why we have laws against murder?" Elspeth asked. Had she understood that correctly?

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

She addressed her answer to the classroom at large. It would be interesting to hear their responses. "Precisely. Let me put it another way: for all of your laws, do murders still occur? And when they occur, are they always so simple to punish? Are there never details that can change the circumstances entirely? Would you punish a mother for killing to protect her children? A Queen executing a known criminal? An uprising to replace one who is unjust?" These questions weren't rhetorical, they were asked with honest curiosity.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"A Queen executing a criminal according to the law of the land is not murder," Elspeth said firmly. "And any good judge will take circumstances into account, no matter what the crime."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"What you end up with are numerous definitions of murder, with a sliding scale of what's acceptable and what is moral; people try to hammer out reasons why killing this person is right and that person is wrong."

Karla exhaled, this could be tricky to explain, especially since she continued to make random assumptions about things

"This is not to say that we do not believe murder is wrong. Oftentimes, it is. But what I am saying is that there are times when it is justified; and it would be impossible to make sure every nuance is put into law. Thus, we have no law against it." She raised a single finger to forestall arguments. "But that does not mean murder receives no punishment. Everything has a price, and taking the life of another can carry a steep one. If you were to murder a member of my Court, or one of my villagers, or even someone from Glacia, I would have the right to demand a price from you, up to and including your own life. If someone does not have sufficient power to demand that price be paid, they may lodge a formal complaint for someone with more power to look into and extract the price on their behalf."

She was silent for a few moments, putting her thoughts in order. "What holds our society together is Protocol. The Blood are dangerous; Warlord Princes especially so--their tempers and violence and aggression are part of what makes them Warlord Princes. But there is Protocol to keep us in check, to harness our crueler tendencies. What is and is not acceptable under Protocol is instilled in us from the cradle. When someone acts beyond it, there are consequences. What I guess I'm trying to say is that while Protocol is self-policing, it is not law. Does that make more sense?"

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

Elspeth listened thoughtfully. "You have consequences for murder, then. It's a bit like two nations, each with their own rulers. The Queen of one nation cannot arrest the King of another for killing her people." Her face hardened for a moment and her voice got cold. "But she can make him pay."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"Precisely," Karla's eyes narrowed and her jaw set. "Just because someone is part of a Ruling Council, that does not make them immune to what they owe. Everything has a price, and there is no one strong enough to evade payment." Her voice was as cold as Elspeth's.

Another moment passed in silence. "Though Protocol is the same wherever there is Blood," she said, in a forcibly casual tone of voice.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

Elspeth nodded. "It makes a bit more sense now, thanks."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"And so the idea behind the class prevails," Karla said, laughing. "We are models for everyone to emulate, amazing diplomats, and all that good stuff."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"Others will learn from our shining example," Elspeth smiled back.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

*Well, it's much easier between us than trying to have a civil conversation with certain--* Karla sent on a distaff thread before she remembered that most people here couldn't hear her. Hellfires, this world was complicated.

"And aren't they just lucky to have us," she said aloud. What could be said over threads differed greatly from what could be said for all to hear.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

No law against murder? That would make for a unique social structure, Algren supposed.

"It's a pleasure having you in the class, Miss di Glacia," and Algren hoped that he was addressing her properly. "You say that Queens here aren't the same as the ones from Kaeleer? Would you mind explaining what role yours serve in society? Perhaps we can find some even ground, so that the differences make more sense to both yourself, and people you speak to in the future?"

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"Well, for us, Queens are Queens by birth, but not because their mothers were Queens before them. It's possible for a Queen to bear non-Queen daughters, and for a Queen to be born to a farming family. It's a caste, not a birthright. Another female caste is Healer; those who are not Healers can still brew potions and set bones, but they cannot mend flesh with Craft the way we can. There could be a woman who ruled but who was not a Queen, I guess, but she would never become a Queen, no matter how many males flocked to join her court or how many millennia she reigned. You are or you are not, and nothing can change that." Even broken Queens were still Queens. Not that Karla wanted to think about that right now.

"The Blood were created to be stewards and caretakers of the land; Queens feel that responsibility the most. We rule the Blood because we're the land's heart. But being a Queen doesn't mean you get to rule; no one will simply hand over a village or a Province or a Territory just because of your caste. To rule, a Queen must have a Court of at least twelve males willing to serve in her First Circle, though a proper Court has thirteen Circles. Most males just sign contracts to agree to serve for a year or two, though contracts are often renewed. However, one can swear to serve a Queen forever, in a lifetime contract, by accepting her blood. But if a Queen cannot get twelve males to serve in her Court, she cannot rule. It's another step in our dance of Protocol. Females rule, males serve and protect. But serving is not servitude, and if a Queen mistreats her males, or acts in such a way that she alienates her Circles, then she is left with nothing."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

"It sounds almost as though it's a system that fate itself chooses," Algren mused, though he'd never much believed in something as whimsical as fate. "And at the same time, there appear to be shades of democracy floating under the surface. Who gets to rule is chosen, ultimately, by the people underneath her, is that correct? It's a very unique social system, but it sounds as though it's one that's been working for your culture for quite some time."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"It isn't fate that makes Queens; or, at least, I don't think there's some kind of consciousness that chooses which babies will be born Queens." There was the possibility of the Darkness, but Karla didn't feel like going into that right now. "It's just something we're born with. As for democracy...well, males serve and protect. It's only fair that they have a say in who they are serving and protecting, right? But yes, it's been this way almost since the creation of the Blood, millennia upon millenia ago."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

"So, would you say that the similar terminology for two very different roles between your culture and this one has lead to some miscommunication since you've arrived here?"

Algren wouldn't be surprised one bit, if there were so many people who qualified as Kings and Queens, though not all of such people had the capacity to rule.

Interesting.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"Very, very much. People have all these different expectations about what I mean when I say I'm a Queen. And then got all snorty because I didn't know what a royalty was, or what Your Majesty meant, or what a king is," she groused.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

Algren nodded faintly, managing to keep his chuckle in check.

"Do you know the difference now? Where royalty tends to mean the people in charge of a nation, typically with a Queen or King in charge, and usually gained through a position passed down from parent to child?"

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"I'm starting to understand, but it's still fairly incomprehensible. "I don't understand males ruling; I mean, the High Lord is the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, and since Dhemlan has no Territory Queen, he rules Dhemlan. But that does not make him a King. And how can people accept a ruler based on nothing but an accident of birth? What makes birth so damn important? With no way to remove him or her from power if he or she is a bad ruler."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

"That's what the people are for," Algren replied, "though there are entirely too many who will follow the rule of one person simply because they inherited the position from their family."

He'd go on to mention that he personally didn't think most such rulers were ever fit to rule in the first place, but he was finding himself biting his tongue on that point, considering the amount of nobility that was gathered around the campfire for this lesson, this morning.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"That's what you get when males are in charge." Karla muttered, almost inaudibly.

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[shiroi_tiger]

Just almost.

Algren quirked an eyebrow upward, a faint smirk toying on his lips. Oh, this was going to be an interesting term, indeed.

"Good to have you in the class, Miss di Glacia."

Re: Introductions [05/14]

[glacial_queen]

"Just Karla, please" she responded. She gave a sardonic glance at Arthur. "We needn't stand on ceremony."