endsthegame: (Default)
endsthegame ([personal profile] endsthegame) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2014-07-09 02:06 pm

Practical Philosophy, Wednesday

It was a somewhat tired-looking Ender that met them outside today. He hadn't slept well last night, and he had no doubt his class would suffer because of it. Ah, well; it wasn't like the fate of the planet rested on his shoulders.

"I spent some time talking to some of you about attachment last week," he said. "It's as good a topic as any to head into further, considering that the most notable event of the week was the invasion of a series of clones... and I'm not sure how interesting discussing the ethics of cloning would be."

Or pink ponies, for that matter.

"So. Attachments. Do you need them? Don't you? When do they go 'too far'? Human social structure relies on them - in so many ways - but for us personally the experience of them can differ wildly, depending on our circumstances. Sometimes it may be advantageous to avoid them altogether, to get rid of distraction. And sometimes they can suddenly come through in unexpected ways, as our friends swoop in to clear debris and fight battles we thought we had to face alone."

He shrugged lightly.

"I have a complicated relationship with the notion myself," he said. "I'm an introvert. I prefer to keep my circle small, so it doesn't suck up too much of my energy, and so I can rely on the fact that those I care about are invested enough to stick with me."

To a point. Ender's real thoughts on the matter were rather more complicated.

"Some of you are social butterflies. Some of you aren't. Some people have a near traumatic reaction to the end of the summer - the time of year when all the graduates leave. I wonder how all of you'll handle that."
pulseof_life: (knighting (comforting))

Re: Sign In!

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Paddra Nsu-Yeul
genesishero: (BEEP)

Re: Sign In!

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Evan Sabahnur
genesishero: (Worried)

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Evan almost choked on his sandwich when Ender mentioned the ethics of cloning.

He remembered how to breathe again when he moved right along to relationships, instead. Oh, good. A lesson on how unethical he was simply by existing would not have been a great addition to his day.
pulseof_life: (I know I'm going to fall down)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"People can adapt to nearly anything," Yeul offered quietly. "I would say that people do not need attachment, but that it can both positively or negatively impact a person until they feel as if it is an absolute requirement or an utter anathema."
genesishero: (Shadows)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm still working on figuring out my balance," Evan offered. "Losing Gert and Sholeh and her sisters all leaving at the start of this summer kind of reminded me that it's something I'm going to have to accept is a part of life."

Maybe sooner, rather than later. Last year had been brutal, too. Who knew what the future would bring?
pulseof_life: (picking up a flower)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
She did, in bits and flashes that ate her lives away.

Yeul's glance at him was friendly enough, though perhaps a little more vague than Evan was used to from her.

"Yes," she agreed. "It is. And even when you find your balance, it won't stay that way forever."
genesishero: (Default)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"If there's one thing I've learned about life," Evan offered, "it's that it's anything but balanced."

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment before adding, "Did something upset yours?"

The 'the balance won't last' thing was new to him coming from Yeul, was all.
pulseof_life: (full body)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"It will pass," Yeul said, after a moment to consider his question. "Until it does, I will manage. But thank you for asking."
genesishero: (Default)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"Of course," Evan murmured. "If there's anything I can do to make it easier..."

He couldn't imagine what would, mind. Yeul's needs were far, far different from his own. Maybe his own would be similar, someday. That day was clearly not now, no matter how much he wished it was.
pulseof_life: (sink into the water)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeul’s eyes widened slightly.

“Why should I talk to you?” she asked, sounding honestly puzzled.

Re: Talk to the TA

[identity profile] makemyownway.livejournal.com 2014-07-09 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Cade was watching Ender pretty carefully today.

...not because of his attachment issues.

Really.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[identity profile] makemyownway.livejournal.com 2014-07-09 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ben didn't stuff you full of coffee before you left this morning?"

This was Cade's concerned face, even if it looked like all of his other faces.
spin_kick_snap: Kang Min Kyung as Kathy/Banzai (Bench Kiss)

Re: Sign In!

[personal profile] spin_kick_snap 2014-07-09 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Kathy Li
pulseof_life: (contemplative)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
She tilted her head slightly and thought about that.

"That having experienced both extremes does not make it any easier to find a balance once it has been rocked." She shrugged slightly. "That there is always a way to have to struggle again, even if I forget that sometimes."
genesishero: (Default)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Evan gave his shoulders a little shrug.

"For... a different perspective, maybe?" He fidgeted a little. "Or if there's anything I can do to make things easier. You're a friend."
pulseof_life: (gaze downwards)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2014-07-09 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Her confusion turned into pure perplexity at that response.

"Last week," Yeul said, looking down and playing with one of her bracelets, "in this class, you listed the people you'd felt comfortable with talking to and how they were gone. It did not sound as if I were a friend then."

Mostly because she had not come up at all, on his part.

Could he blame her for drawing the conclusion that they were no longer friends? It was not like Yeul had much experience in understanding the intricacies of friendship, but her feelings, such as they were, had been hurt by it unexpectedly in any case.
genesishero: (UM. BUH.)

Re: Talk.

[personal profile] genesishero 2014-07-09 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Evan gave her a puzzled look at that, and then shook his head.

"I was talking about people who had left. I have friends who are still here, not just you, that I didn't list off," he pointed out. "I'm not mourning you."

He hadn't mentioned several people. Yeul was hardly being singled out as someone not worthy of mention, since she was neither dead nor gone forever.

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