Living on the Outskirts, Friday, Period 2

[furnaceface]

When the students made their way to the classroom for Jonothon's first ever class on the island (and really, what the hell had he been thinking when he had decided he could do this?!) they'd see that the setup for the room was a little on the informal side. Jono had given up on desks, having decided that they were anathema in a class that was supposed to be about making antisocial teens just get over themselves and socialize, already. In their place, sofas. Loveseats. A few bean-bag chairs if people so desired.

And a requisite shadowy corner. Big enough for one. Because he was a brat and wanted to see if any of his students would give one another dirty looks over it. He liked to think he knew their type, for some reason or other.

"Congratulations. If you're here, you've either decided that you're sick of standing in the shadowy corners, or else whoever it is that wrote your schedule for you has decided that you need to get the hell out of them. If it's the former, I hope I don't disappoint. If it's the latter, then I hope you don't disappoint. If you haven't noticed by now just by looking at me, yes, I do have some passing experience with not quite fitting in among my peers." Understatement was fun and educational! "My name is Jonothon Starsmore. You may call me Professor Starsmore if you wish, though I'll likely give you a strange look for it. Jono is just fine, informal though it might be. Everyone else calls me that, you might as well too."

Why mess with something if it worked, right?

"An entire week of classes is nearly out of the way, and I'm certain you're all sick and bloody tired of introductions, but there are half a million of you in here, and I'm going to need to know what to call you if you want to get an attendance mark and pass this course." This course on playing nice with others, yes. "So. Names. Year, if you feel so inclined. And a little something about what it is I'm to be working with, here. Tell me what it is that you feel puts you on the outskirts. Why you feel as though you'll never quite fit in, or what makes your life harder than everyone else's. You're most likely all teenagers. There's a good start. I haven't met a teenager yet who doesn't feel at least slightly as though their life is a ball of misery and darkness so bleak that the sun might never shine through the despair that simply waking from day to day brings them. I know how it works. I used to be a teen, myself. And what you share with the class doesn't have to be anything utterly horrible. If your biggest complaint is that you have to sit here and listen to a large grey British man lecture you about what it's like to be a teen, then that will do just fine."

His grin took on a slightly playful twist to it, perhaps a little in spite of himself.

"And then I want you to talk with your classmates, the people who have just introduced themselves to you, and give them one bright side. Even if that bright side is just that they woke up this morning with all of their body parts still attached.

"Oh, and..." Jono glanced at his class roster. "Surreal and Cade. Congratulations. You have been selected at random for the right to complain that you've just been drafted into a semester of extra responsibility as my TAs. If it's any consolation, that means you get to sit in the recliners near the back of the room, today."

Lucky them.


[Open!]

Comments

Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"I'll go first," Jono said, nodding to the group. "As I've already stated, I'm Jono. I graduated from Fandom High last year, but there was a bit of a timeskip for me after I went home again. I didn't take until I was twenty-five to graduate high school, I assure you."

... Only very nearly, since he'd gone back to the academy from here.

"And I won't get into anything particularly terrible about my life unless it'll be of some use in a future lecture, so I suppose I'll just gripe about how my coffee was cold this morning by the time I finally got this room arranged, so you had better all appreciate it."

He shrugged.

"On the plus side, there's fresh coffee at the back of the room, and it is still warm. Now, your turns. Name, year, and one complaint, big or small. And then, when your classmates have introduced themselves and done their complaining, give them something they can feel better about. Their hair looks good today, maybe this is the last class of the week. Be... nice."

No. Really. He meant that.

Re: Introductions!

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade finally opened his mouth. "I'm Cade, I'm a junior--not that I really know what that means--and there are a lot of people wandering around this island who're supposed to be dead. I don't like it."

So there.

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"The joys of convergent timelines," Jono replied, not without sympathy. "I'd like to tell you that you'll get used to it, Cade, but I might be a little dulled to it by now. Where I come from, it's a wonder that anybody stays dead, it seems."

Hell, how many times had he managed to rebuild his body from scratch?

Re: Introductions!

[suitably_heroic]

"My name is Atton Rand, I'm a junior," Atton said, leaning back in his seat. "I can't get a decent glass of juma juice anywhere in this town. I mean, I like whiskey fine, but you'd think an island like this paid more attention to what's popular in the multiverse."

He had many more where that one came from.

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

Ah, Jonothon's competition in complaining.

They meet again.

"Atton," Jono greeted mildly, inclining his chin in greeting as he spoke. "Have you asked the bartenders at Caritas if they'd be willing to order it in? If you know any suppliers from your own reality, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to strike up some sort of trade agreement, I should think."

Re: Introductions!

[ultron_junior]

"I'm Victor, I'm a junior, and" -- there were a lot of things he could complain about, but he'd limit himself to something light for class -- "there is no good Mexican food on the island. Maybe not on this coast."

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

Something light was a good way to go about it. There would be plenty of time later on to get into the heavier stuff, Jono was sure.

"Probably not on this coast," he replied, smiling faintly. "You haven't found anything that manages to take care of those cravings, have you? I've been living on pizza for months now, I think I'd almost kill for something boiled or floating away in gravy at this point, myself."

You crave food in your way, and Jono will crave it in his.

Re: Introductions!

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Toby Logan, I'm a sophomore," a year in the States and it still felt weird to use names for grades instead of numbers, "and... having a morning class means I can't sleep in on Fridays."

Never mind that 1) it wasn't even a first period class and 2) he also had a shift at the restaurant, which meant he was up early on Fridays anyway...

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"At least it's nearly Saturday," Jono mused, smirking faintly. He often had the same complaint. "Unless you have something keeping you from sleeping in on Saturdays, you ought to be able to make up for lost time tomorrow."

Re: Introductions!

[whenshewasnice]

"Natalie Adams, senior," Natalie said, probably even more utterly neutral than Jono may have been used to from her. It was the setting, it made her less inclined to share emotional responses. "I didn't pick this class."

That was grievance enough, wasn't it?

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"Paperwork error?" Jono looked at least somewhat sympathetic. This particular attitude from her was something new for him, yes, though he had to admit that he hadn't seen her in many social situations outside of productions at The Boards. "Or somebody from home messing around with your schedule?"

Re: Introductions!

[dressedinblood]

"I'm Anna, I'm a junior, and apparently there might not be hockey this year?" It was phrased like a question because she was hoping someone would confirm for her this was just a terrible lie.

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Jono replied, sounding a little apologetic. "I was always more interested in football, myself. Proper football, not the rubbish they try to pass off as it here in America."

So, Jonothon was singularly unhelpful.

"Though I suppose being on the island means that there must be some hockey going on somewhere in the multiverse this year that you'll be able to follow? We aren't exactly strapped for options, here."

Re: Introductions!

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel started with a hesitant smile and a little finger wave at Jono. She wondered if he remembered her. Or recognized her, really.

"Um," she said after a moment, "I'm Rapunzel? I'm a senior." It was weird how only a year ago the word hadn't made any sense when other people had used the word during introductions, but now it seemed (almost) natural.

"And I guess my big complaint is that I still haven't managed to find a way to get home." And while that still made her pensive and sad, she was working on focusing on the positive sides of things, and managed not to fall into a little spiral of introspection.

"Um... that's it?"

Re: Introductions!

[furnaceface]

"Home," Jono replied, nodding in understanding, and perhaps a bit of recognition, as well. He remembered the sentiment from another timeline, if not the hair. "I wonder if this is a case of the island grabbing somebody away and insisting that they stick around through graduation? It's done that before, that I've seen."

Re: Introductions!

[batwaffles.livejournal.com]

"Stephanie Brown, senior," she began, fidgeting a little bit because she knew what qualified her to be in this class, and it wasn't something she cared to talk about. Nobody needed to hear her complaining about her crappy broke-ass family, and she didn't want to share that with random people anyway. And then there was the other thing she didn't like to talk about, so . . .

"And I guess you can say that I get really annoyed with teenagers thinking their tiny problems are the end of the world."

That was probably unfair of her, especially since it came out sounding a little bitter, and could get her into some arguments. Plus it did kind of tie into those things she didn't want to talk about, and . . . oops.

Re: Introductions!

[walkswithcoyote]

"Mercedes Thompson, I'm a junior." And she wasn't particularly sure how she'd gotten into this class - unless Bran had stepped in again, trying to be funny - and she didn't really want to whine about her issues here. She'd already embarrassed herself enough in front of Jono when the Nothing had taken away her world for a while. And she liked him. He'd been really kind to her. So...

"I guess I miss my old home."

Re: Introductions!

[seeshowyoudie.livejournal.com]

"Miriam Black, senior," Miriam said. "You don't want to know my biggest complaint, so let's just bitch about Ren Faire reject roommates with huge sitcks up their asses instead."

Re: Introductions!

[notalender]

Arietty stood up on her cushion when it was her turn and pulled out her little bullhorn. "I'm Arietty Clock," she said. "I'm a freshman, and, well." She was four inches tall. "I'm the only borrower in a world full of all you beans. I didn't even know that was possible."

Re: Introductions!

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

Sholeh had spent a lot of time coming up with her complaint. It wasn't like she could explain the real reason she was in this class: she thought it would be a handy way to prepare for her future in other landscapes. "I'm Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar," she said when it was her turn. "A sophomore. I hate it when people treat me like a little kid, just because I'm the youngest."

Sisters.

Re: Introductions!

[selfhelphero]

"I'm Billy Kaplan, I'm a junior, and my biggest complaint right now is that my parents' apartment got destroyed recently. They're okay, but things are kind of a mess right now."

That was a huge understatement, but there were only so many things Billy was willing to say in a class full of people.

Re: Introductions!

[notagoose]

"Shane Gooseman," Goose said, "I'm a junior and..." he paused, trying to think of something that wouldn't give away his situation back home, "my guardian chooses my classes,"

Re: Introductions!

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

"I'm Dave Nelson. I'm a junior," Dave said. "And my main complaint right now is that my allergies are acting up on me. My eyes are just itchy and it's driving me nuts."

Re: Introductions!

[pulseof_life]

A complaint? Yeul listened as her classmates listed their complaints--which ranged from the almost silly to the more serious--and wondered what she should say.

She missed Caius but what was the point in complaining about that? Was there really a point in complaining about most of the things she could think of that had occurred to her more than once?

"I'm Yeul," she said, when it was her turn, "and I am a freshman." Which still meant very little to her but at least she knew which word applied? "I... don't really have anything to complain about," Yeul finished, almost apologetically.

This was a lie. Sort of. Yeul herself didn't fully recognize what a blatant lie it was.

Re: Introductions!

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Surreal. And I--" am cranky/repressing/broken-up about Cara leaving, "--don't do well with most people."

Beat.

"Or any people."