fandomhigh | Practical Philosophy, Monday

"Last week, some of you wound up talking about moments from home you miss," Ender said, once everyone had filed into the classroom - and sat down in the circle. "And that the formative years of our lives - the places we grew up in, the things we did - determine so much of how we see the world that comes after it."

He smiled briefly.

"For a lot of people, high school's the moment they really get tossed out into another world," he continued. "Especially here, at this boarding school, where people from all universes and times and places wash up on the shore and go to class. It's a shock to the system, a readjustment of your vision-- everything is new or different, and yet a lot of things might not be."

He sat forward. "So what I'm curious about," he said, "Is the things you miss, and the things you don't. The things you can adapt to, and the things you can't. This is your point of comparison towards the life you used to know, and I know all of you think about these comparisons, maybe even every day, every hour, every minute."

This was where a normal teacher would have probably dug into his own experiences in order to share, but Ender was not as inclined to do so. Instead, he said, "So talk to me. What's new and what's old? Does it mean anything? Or is it just a new background stapled onto your old reality - just an extension of the life you used to know?"

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Talk to each other, settle down, enjoy the AC.

Changeably.

Ask questions, eat breakfast.

About change and moving on into the next stage of your life. Or maybe about all the things that are similar. Or maybe about something else entirely.

Who has dog hair all over his shirt, and no TA in sight.

I really am rather lacking in YouTube videos today.

Though I do have this:

And this:

Sparkle

Breakfast? Sparkle didn't mind if he did, thanks. And he'd sit there merrily stuffing his face until the lecture is through, too. Nothing like food to keep him at least somewhat respectful until it was his turn to open his mouth.

"Aside from all the weirdness, high school itself isn't all that different," Sparkle decided. "Bunch of people coming and going, and maybe I get to know some of them, maybe I don't. I still have to share a room, and I know I'm not going to be here forever. People with authority telling me what I should and shouldn't do... The only real difference, I guess, is that I have a job here. And sometimes weird shit happens, but that usually goes away on its own."

A beat.

"And the heat."

That was going to be a sticking point, probably. There were other differences, but nothing he seemed terribly inclined to volunteer out of the blue.

Cassidy

"It was hard at first," Cassidy finally said. "Because things are much different here than they are back at home. I've had to figure out what works and what doesn't."

Topher Brink

For a long time, Topher wasn't sure that he was going to speak. He knew Ender, and anyway he didn't really do this sort of... introspecting-out-loud thing. But after a while, he shrugged and gave it a shot.

"It's different in some ways, and other ways not," he offered. "It's a school where I barely learn anything in my classes, that isn't new. But the people are different--" take the wolf puppy he had with him-- "and there's way more stuff to learn that doesn't come from classes than you'd get at a normal school, like... coping with being almost wiped out of existence or something." He shrugged. There was more he had in mind, but he didn't know how to say it without exposing more of himself than he'd like to. So he just settled on, "And I guess I see how people say this place gets you to form attachments. Because of all the weirdness. And the people."

Oh, Bernard. Suuuuuuuch a terrible person.

Natalie Adams

"Do you feel like the job's a real change?" Ender asked. "Or is it just... a thing to do?"

"So what have you learned?" Ender wondered.

"The people," Ender echoed. He had a tiny smile on his face. "They're different-- how?"

Of course Natalie was the type to be polite and apologize for her random absences. Of course. Plus, you know, there was the idle desire to size Ender up out of general curiosity.

"Hi, I'm Natalie," she said. "I'm sorry for missing the first session. I was a snake."

Oh, Fandom.

Sparkle actually thought about that answer for a moment before putting words to it.

"I just sit around staring at clothes all day," he noted. "Sometimes I dress for it, and in weather like this I couldn't be bothered, and shit, I'm even getting paid for it. Biggest change is that someone trusts me alone with the merchandise and the cash register, I think."

... In fairness, Sparkle had a bit of a history with shoplifting. But he kind of took pride in the fact that he was employed. Stealing from Demon Marcus was the last thing on his mind.

"It's all right," Ender said, offering her a slight smile. "It happens. It's not like we have homework, anyway."

And just like that, Topher was reminded of why you didn't just say something to Ender Wiggin that you didn't want prodded at.

"Um," he said, struggling to put into words what it was about the people at Fandom that made him like them more. "More... civilized? It isn't... I mean, people don't do the whole stupid xenophobic high school thing you get anywhere else." That felt dangerously close to an admittance that he'd been hurt somewhere else, though, so he segued quickly. "And people here are smarter, too. Way fewer idiots."

"That's always worth something," Ender said philosophically. "Trust, I mean. I think it's probably one of those things that guides a child into adulthood-- people learning to trust you with responsibilities."

Mind, for Ender, that had started at age 6. But he wasn't going to share that.

"Thanks," Ender said dryly. "I suppose we're not like the stereotypical high school, though." Not that he knew what that was like. "Those of us who are a little different from the norm can make space much more easily."

Cassidy smiled. "Protocol exists here in some ways, but that it's different than back home."

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Practical Philosophy, Monday

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