fandomhigh | TeeVee for Beginners, Friday Period Two

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TeeVee for Beginners, Friday Period Two

"Today, we're going to be talking about people," Mitchell said, once they'd all filled into the classroom. Anyone paying attention may have noticed the large table full of bags upon bags of crisps off to the side of the room. "People watching television, to be precise." You know, in case they'd thought he was going to talk about something a little less savoury. "Academics call television the 'electronic hearth', because where families used to gather before the fireplace, they started to gather in front of the television instead. It grew very very quickly from being a novelty to being in every household, in every family."

He gestured at the television. "Others call it being couch potatoes," he said, wryly. "People who spend too much time in front of the television. They have a little food, have a little drink, and let the programmes flow on past. Wasting their lives away, never looking for some meaning in life, never bothering to find out who they really are, what the world's really like." He smiled once. "The truth, as it generally is, lies somewhere in the middle. Television nowadays is a unifier, it brings people together, but it also sets them apart."

He wandered over to the table, patting it with his hands. "Now for the fun part," he said, "Snacks are a vital part of the modern television experience. Sometimes, it's entire meals, pizza and Chinese food." Mitchell was a great appreciator of the art. "But at this hour, that may be pushing it. Crisps," he picked up a bag and waved it around, "Are excellent television chow. I want you all to pick what looks like it may taste good, and if you're not sure, ask your fellow classmates about it." He set the bag down. "Today is all about people. About audiences, which we all are when we're watching the television. So go on, make yourself comfortable. Be an audience, meet people, see what the social contexts are all about."

He took a seat on his own couch. "Have fun. That's what television's all about."

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They probably have their own ideas on couch potatoes.

This could maybe be Tony's favorite class ever.

Jack roamed over happily to find Tony at the end of class ~~and thus avoided disrupting the lecture~~. "Hello," he said. "Guess who's going home for the weekend?"

From the expression on Jack's face, it might be inferred that whoever it was, this was a good thing.

"Hm...," Tony pointed randomly to one of their classmates. "That guy over there?"

"He might be," Jack said, grinning. "I don't properly know. Should I go ask him?"

"It's not very fair to play guessing games if you don't know the answers," Tony grinned.

"True," Jack admitted, unabashed. "I can't speak for him, then, but I can say I got a note from home this morning. I'll be gone tomorrow afternoon until Monday evening, assuming the travel goes as smoothly as the mails did."

Jack needed the visit; Sebastien needed the visit; it was one big ball of neediness.

"So you'll be gone all weekend," Tony said. "We should get dinner or something when you get back. You can tell me more about 1899."

"I'd like that," Jack said honestly. "It'll probably be a lot of helping Sebastien unpack his things, but I'll find some kind of souvenir for you. I should be free any day, really."

There was lunch with Rose, but no need to bring that up just now. It certainly wouldn't impact his ability to eat dinner.

Tony couldn't hide his grin. "Cool, so, let me know when you get back and we'll make plans then."

"I wouldn't let you miss me," Jack told him with a sly smile.

George was rather fond of this class, yes. He was available for anyone who had questions, too, or who just wanted to chat.

[Off to work, back in about ten hours. Blargh.]

"Hi George." Dinah flopped down on the end of his couch near the end of class. "How are you settling in?"

"Not too badly!" George admitted, smiling and a little surprised. "I mean, things are weird, but... it's almost a good kind of weird." Unlike turning into a slathering beast every month.

"The moose were a bit odd, though, yesterday."

"Adorable odd, though," Dinah protested, taking a bite out of a sour-cream-and-onion chip. "I mean, they lifted their little hats to you! And they ran with me and Priestly on our morning jog. I liked them tons better than the glitter." She grinned. "But you're getting to like it? Nothing traumatizing yet?"

Edited 2009-05-22 22:48 (UTC)

"... There are traumatising things?" George asked. "Should I be scared?"

"I told you about that, the day we met? Disappearing clothes?" Dinah reminded him. "Well, and there was one day when we all had to tell the total truth. That was horrible. But it hasn't happened since." She grinned, and offered him her bag of potato chips. "Chip?"

George's eyes widened. "I think I blocked that," he admitted. "Um. I definitely think I blocked that. And I'll have a crisp, yeah, thanks."

Dinah grinned, and handed the bag over. "I didn't tell you about the truth thing, so don't worry. The clothes, yeah. Anyway! I'm glad the last two weeks have been good, though." She grinned and nodded toward Mitchell. "He's really awesome."

"Yeah," George agreed. "He's... Kinda my guardian." Don't look at the paperwork too closely there, please. "I mean, he is my guardian."

"You mentioned that," Dinah said, thinking George really *had* been out of it, jetlagged to heck and gone that first day. "No other family?" she asked, keeping her tone light.

"Oh, I did?" he asked. It wasn't so much the jetlag as it was the flailing he'd gone through that day; he'd blocked half the experience. "What about you? What's your family like?"

Notice how deftly he'd dodged the question?

"I'm adopted," Dinah said carefully, noticing that dodging, yup. Since she did so much of it herself. "Just last year. I have two sisters in New Gotham, that's it." She tilted her head. "And a sort-of grandfather, and a sort-of uncle. Friends who are family, you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," George said, nodding.

He didn't yet. Give him time; he had canon to catch up on for that.

"Wait," George added. "If you're adopted, wouldn't you have parents, too? Why d'you only have sisters?"

"Ummm..." Yeah, that would be Dinah's I-am-attempting-to-skate-fast face. "Well. I call them my sisters, but really, Barbara's my guardian. Adoptive mom, really, but she's too young to say, 'hi, this is my mom.' It's just, she was Helena's guardian, when Helena was my age. So that kind of makes Helena my sister. See?"

Possibly not.

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