Defying Expectations, Tuesday Period 3

[glacial_queen]

Karla had gotten to the island early today so she could hunt down the moose in the office and clear up a few things. Little things like: how had she become a teacher? Where was her class? When was her class? What was her class? Did the school normally just inform random people that they were teaching now?

She'd gotten a shrug to her first question, a copy of her class roster for her second, third, and fourth, and an eyeroll for her last. She hadn't even known moose could roll their eyes. But the roster had the really relevant information, like what the Hell her class was even supposed to be about, so overall the visit was a win. A few hours in the Perk had been enough to cobble together something to get her through her first class, which, if memory served, was all introductions anyway.

At least with the time difference between Kaeleer and Fandom, she'd have two more weeks to put together the rest of the class--and break the news to her Court that she was now teaching on the island.

Good times.

"Welcome to Defying Expectations: Staying Yourself in the Face of Destiny," she greeted the class when the bell rang. "Or, err," she checked the roster again. "Staying Yourself in Spite of Destiny. Whatever, close enough. We'll be calling it Defying Expectations for the rest of the semester anyway." She debated informing the class that she'd just found out she was teaching this semester on Saturday, but in the end decided not to undermine herself quite so immediately. "I'm Karla, Fandom alum, and this is actually a topic I struggled a great deal with when I was attending classes here. I'm a Queen, which means something a little different in my world than it likely does in most of yours, but the bottom line was that I knew that after I graduated, I was going to have to go home and rule my entire Territory." Which was an abbreviated version of things, skipping over pesky details like the murder of her parents and a civil war, but that wasn't really relevant to the topic at hand. "At a time when most kids were thinking about what college to apply to or what occupation they wanted to enter, I was trying to figure out how I was going to rule over an entire nation of people. It was intimidating as Hell, to say the least."

Still was, most days.

"One of things that always scared me the most was thinking about the ways I would have to change when I left Fandom. I would have to go from being 'Karla', the person I am, to 'the Queen', a person who was a mystery to me. I was afraid I'd lose myself, that everything that made me who I was would get subsumed by this faceless entity that existed only to rule and to govern." She shrugged. "Obviously, it didn't happen, but it was a very real fear of mine that manifested in nightmares and some really unhealthy behaviors. Now, I can't promise that at the end of this class, you'll walk out of here completely confident in whatever future you've got ahead of you--and, considering this place, could be anything from the next king or queen of a kingdom to the chosen one destined to save humanity. This is more about learning strategies that can help you find and keep your footing, as well as compromises you can make that won't leave you feeling out of touch with who you are."

With a smile she added, "But all of that starts next week. This week is the time-honored introductions week, which you will all be heartily sick of by Friday. So, name, class, and what you've got ahead of you after your graduation. Don't worry if it's not some huge and life-changing destiny. Expectations exist all around us, from society to parents to peer pressure and all that good stuff. If you want to, feel free to add if you're feeling unsettled by whatever comes next. Do your parents want you to be a lawyer, but your dream is to dance? Are you next in line for the throne but you're actually an anarchist? Share whatever comes to mind and whatever you feel comfortable with. Also, Kaylin? The great moose in the office has declared you to be my TA. So thank you for being voluntold."

Comments

Re: Introductions

[bjornstjarna.livejournal.com]

"My name is Soren Bearstar, I'm a senior... and, well. I've already pulled at the threads a little, as I've dedicated myself to Baldur's service, instead of Odin's, as I was supposed to." He paused, considering. "I suppose what worries me about it is how people back home will treat me because of this decision."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded. "I'd love to hear a little more about the differences between Odin's service and Baldur's, if you wish to explain, and why you were 'supposed' to be dedicated to Odin. That might help us figure out ways to mitigate people's responses to you when you return home."

Re: Introductions

[bjornstjarna.livejournal.com]

Soren had been here long enough that it no longer surprised him that people were not familiar with the traditions of his world, so he'd been prepared to offer a little explanation. "In my world, everyone cdedicates themselves to a god when they reach adulthood. For most, they are free to choose which god most closely aligns with their personal beliefs, but for berserkers, there isn't supposed to be a choice. We are Odin's warriors. But that was never a fate I wanted for myself," because of reasons he wasn't going to get into, at least on the first day of class, "and so I tried to hold off my destiny as long as possible. But then I fell into Baldur's company, and god or not, what he needed was... a friend," he shrugged. "As for the differences between them, Baldur is a god of love and light, Odin is a god of war. While I will not hesitate to pick up my spear in order to protect Baldur, as the sole berserker in his service, I have no war-band to join and no reason to actively seek battle."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Were you born a berserker?" Karla asked, intrigued. "Or was it something that was chosen, either by you or for you when you were younger?"

Re: Introductions

[bjornstjarna.livejournal.com]

"Berserkers are born," although there was the exception to that rule currently also living in Fandom, "and are almost always male, as well." Who was also an exception to that rule.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"So, you've had the expectation since birth that you would be sworn to Odin's service--that you were, in fact, born to that service. Has anyone given you grief for choosing elsewhere?"