fandomhigh | Culture Shock, Thursday, 5/14, Period 2

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!]

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"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."

"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.

"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.

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?"

"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."

"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.

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

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."

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

Culture Shock, Thursday, 5/14, Period 2

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]

Re: Introductions [05/14]