fandomhigh | Defying Expectations, Tuesday, Per 3

Their teacher was present when the class filed in. She was also dressed a lot more casually than normal, in a pair of beat up jeans and a ratty sweatshirt, both several sizes too large for her. Both pieces had been unwittingly donated from Jono's wardrobe back during his Decibel days, and certainly beat the several pieces of maternity wear she'd seen in a shop in Sidra.

Ugh. Pastels.

"Sorry for the last minute cancellation," she said once everyone had filed in. "I passed a law about hunting Arcerian cats..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind. If you're really curious, you can talk to me after class. The upshot is that I missed class because a bunch of aristos get pissy and threw temper tantrums that I had to sort out. Word of warning for your futures: if you're ever in a position of authority over people, expect to get called in to referee fights. It's highly unlikely that you'll get them to agree, so if it doesn't happen, don't be overwrought about it."

See? Helping you set expectations to possibly defy later! Teacher of the year, right here.

"But rather than looking at the future, we're going to focus on the present today. There are a ton of expectations that you are facing just by being who you are, in whatever society you're in. There are expectations of behavior based on your age, your sex, your gender, your race, your socio-economic status, perhaps your religion or belief system. There are the expectations that your family has for you, your friends, your teachers here at Fandom, and people beyond that. Perfect strangers may have expectations for you, based solely on your appearance and their own internalized beliefs and prejudices. Some of those expectations make sense in society. Here at school, we expect you to be academically honest, fairly independent, and possessing enough sense to get in out of a rain of caramel sauce." Unless there was a fire drill scheduled, sigh. "We also expect you not to do things, like harm your fellow students or the people in town--at least, not without a damn good reason."

"But not all expectations are healthy, rational, or beneficial. Many of them can be hurtful to be on the receiving end of, and are generally no picnic to have in the first place. Not to defend racists, but it's got to be exhausting, wandering around afraid of people who don't look or think like you. So, today, a discussion class, focusing on the expectations that define your life right now, and whether or not you defy them and the consequences of doing so." She spread her arms. "For example, this is what I wore when dealing with audiences this morning. My Court was not best pleased with me, and I have a very stuffy Steward waiting for me to get home. But I was comfortable, so I'm thinking his lecture will be worth it. But did I lose anything in the eyes of my courtiers, or in your eyes by not being more appropriately dressed? Let's discuss."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Doing something inappropriate

Mara Jade

Minako Aino

Emma Swan

Kaylin Neya

Soren Bearstar

Kira Yukimura

Eleanor Lamb

Paddra Nsu-Yeul

Or pass notes, think about Homecoming, whatever!

"Radio says there was a gender swap right before your trip. Did you get to explore anything new in a different body that you would have been uncomfortable with in your old one? Did you find yourself treated differently? Did your trip to a different world put you in conflict with any new cultural expectations?"

Or any other topic anyone feels like sharing.

"What are some expectations you feel people have for you right now? Who? Are you living up to--or down to--those expectations? Are they fair? Do you agree with them? Why do you think they exist for you?"

[Feel free to make messy threads]

"I wish I knew what my mother's expectations were," Kira said with a sigh. "I'm living up to my dad's expectations, I think - he wants me to do well in school and be successful and that's not terrible - but I feel like my mother expects me to be something great and... I don't know if I can be."

"Why do you think that?" Karla asked. "About what your mother expects, I mean."

She also wanted to know why Kira didn't think she was capable of being great, but she'd sneak that question in later.

"Apparently, there's a lot of family legacy I have to uphold, being the only child and her only daughter," Kira said. "She says it'll all come naturally, but I'm not so sure."

"My mother used to say the same thing," Karla said with a small smile. "She...wasn't exactly wrong, but she wasn't entirely right, either. There are some things you do have to learn yourself and some things that come naturally. But she may be forgetting that you're not a carbon copy of her, and the things that she discovered on her own may not be the same things you do. Has she at least explained why she's convinced this way is the best?"

"What are some expectations for other people that you have? Has coming to Fandom made you aware of any that you didn't realize you had before? Have you picked up any new ones since arriving? Are they positive or negative? Do you find yourself being swayed by outward appearances any--not necessarily race or gender, but clothing choice, style, body type, et cetera."

"I learned there are televised eating competitions," Mara said, making a face. "This planet is weirder than I'd thought."

"Are you more weirded out by the ones where they try to eat the most of whatever in the shortest time possible? Or the ones where they try to get them to eat gross things?" Karla said, fighting down a smile. "And why do they strike you as weird?"

"The most of whatever," Mara said promptly. "What's considered weird varies by system, but no one really needs to eat fifty sausages."

"How are you defying expectations? No one can live up to every belief about them. Is it a deliberate choice, or just a consequence of who you are compared to the society and culture you live in? Do you try to downplay those times you defy them or are you aggressively defiant? Or is it situational? What kind of consequences do you face?"

"I bloody outright refused," Eleanor said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been refusing for years, but they didn't actually let me refuse, so I escaped. I suppose I'm rather defiant about it, as a result."

"What expectations are you refusing?" Karla asked. "I know you've said that you're deliberately not going along with the plans that were being made for your future--are those the only expectations you're defying?"

"I think I'm defying quite a lot," she said, as she considered it. "I wasn't supposed to form attachments; that's the biggest one. But I have friends here. Not just acquaintances, but friends. And I have a family -- it's not blood, but they're still mine."

She bit her lip, wondering how candid she ought to be in class. "I even have a boyfriend, which ... Mother would be thoroughly disapproving of."

Sofia had given Eleanor the sex talk as a matter of general education and anatomy. Not as something for her own edification, as Eleanor was never intended to use that knowledge.

"I'm highly suspect of anyone who tells you not to form close attachments to other people," Karla said. "I don't care what their reasoning is, or how 'neutral' or 'objective' you're supposed to be. There are damn good odds that anyone who is telling you to remain apart from other people sees that as a means to an end--to keep you isolated, vulnerable, and somehow dependent on them."

She was sure there were exceptions out there, but the odds weren't very good.

"So, good on you for defying that one. Making your own family is an important part of growing up."

If Kaylin is here!

Kaylin was here, but mostly asleep today. She'd had a hard night working with the midwifes and had barely made her other class where she'd had to ask someone on a date sort of thing. Which was very stressful.

Who looks far more comfortable today, at least clothing-wise.

Thanks, Jono!

Feeling much better today--so sorry about last week, guys!

Defying Expectations, Tuesday, Per 3

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Listen to the Lecture

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Discussion Topic--Current Expectations

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Discussion Topic--Your Own Expectations

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Discussion Topic--Defying Expectations

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Talk to the TA

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Talk to the Teacher

OOC