chosehumanity: (mitchell: what was that?)
chosehumanity ([personal profile] chosehumanity) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2010-02-08 09:54 am
Entry tags:

Horror 101, Monday

"Persecution is not new," Mitchell began. Why, yes, the Raven-Max thing had been resolved, he'd picked that up, but he was still in a mood. "...and as to how this applies to the previous lessons, see this as your first witch class." See? That worked. "Persecution," he began again, "Is hardly new. Fears, horror, it causes people to behave in strange ways. Something odd happens, someone gets killed, someone gets hurt, and suddenly everyone's jumping at shadows. The people who wind up suffering, are those of us who are strange. Off, somehow. Away from the norm."

Mitchell had no issues. None at all.

"The witch trials are the easiest example of this," he said, nearly poking a hole in the blackboard as he made notes. "It's funny, because in the 8th century, belief in witches was actually outlawed, you see? But it never kept anyone. Something would happen, like the plague, and someone else would see some political gain or something, and whip everyone up into a frenzy. They'd run around and devise all kinds of bizarre tests, like throwing women into the water, just to see if they were witches. And then of course they'd be burned at the stake."

He took a moment to eye that particular note on his blackboard. "...Anyway," he started, "how this links back to horror in fiction is that people are always terrified of chaos," he marked that word big time, "While at the same time they all fall into it. I mean, what is persecution but organized chaos? You pinpoint someone to blame and then rip them out of the house. And then another one. And then another one. It's this cycle that keeps feeding itself. Hence the Monster from meta for Frankenstein being forced to flee from monsters himself. It's a common theme, that way."

He dropped the chalk and turned around. Listed off a couple more movies that ended in or featured running someone out of the house with torches and pitchforks. "...You can even pull it into perspective with today. You know, stars and the papparazzi and that sort of thing. People spiralling into chaos after every incident." He dusted off his half-gloved hands by wiping them off each other. "So we'll be talking about persecution. Who knows what it feels like to be persecuted? Have you ever been drawn into a mob, or felt the need to? How did it feel?"

At least he was getting less overcompensate-y about it all?

"And we'll watch some film, of course." Meta for Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch. Oh yeah. He was on a roll today.

[[ ocd up, have at! ]]
awakestheghosts: (Worried)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Surprisingly. it didn't take a lot of forced bravery to approach him. He was her favorite teacher and she was worried about him.

"M-Mitchell?"
awakestheghosts: (Rubbing Her Nose)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
She rubbed her nose. "A-are you all right? You seem upset about something."
awakestheghosts: (Default)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
She wasn't believing this at all. "I-is there anything that I can do to help?"
awakestheghosts: (Default)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh." He couldn't have known how much that hurt. He couldn't have known that you've got your own problems was just another way to say that she wasn't strong enough or that she was too useless -- got to love Tori and Derek sometimes -- to be of any help.

"Oh," she said again, softly. "Well, don't forget that you have friends that will always be here for you if you let us."

She thought it was wise that she leave while still focusing on the fact that something was bothering him and not letting it become one of her long-held inferiorities. This wasn't about her, it was about him.

She was at the door before she turned back to look at him. "Even those of us that people don't think can handle it." She shrugged. "We care." She cracked a smile. "It wouldn't be wrong for me to bring you an apple or a cup of coffee as one person reaching out to cheer another."
awakestheghosts: (Default)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Chloe smiled a little more. "Granny Smith or Red?" She asked, accepting said olive branch.
awakestheghosts: (Default)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Okay then. One Little Red Riding Hood coming up so that we can spare her Granny."
awakestheghosts: (Sweet)

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[personal profile] awakestheghosts 2010-02-08 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
That was what she wanted to see.

"We have to. Better to keep the good ones we trust healthy. Besides, saves us kids from having to eat too healthily."

She grinned. "I'll bring it by your office hours?"