Ethics [Thursday, October 27, 2016]

[sith_happened]

Today's Ethics class was outside. In the preserve, which was a huge step up from a desert, if you asked Anakin.

Yes, well. Which one of them had spent time in a desert lately? Either way, Obi-Wan was there, looking only... slightly tense. "We believed that perhaps it was time to remind ourselves of the spirit of charitable giving," he said, "Ethics, after all, is not simply about theory."

"And," said an unexpected addition to the teaching group today, "that's why I'm here today." Kanan grinned easily as he shrugged his shoulders. That jack-of-all-trades thing came in handy sometimes. "As you can probably tell from the chill that's starting to settle into the air, it's coming on wintertime, and some of the island's residents... frankly, are too dumb to come in from the cold. So-" he held up a handful of printouts of plans for simple livestock shelters, "we're going to build a bunch of smaller versions of these. And then we're going to wallpaper the insides with bad, preachy fanfiction from the internet. For the teal deer."

Apparently they liked that sort of thing? Kanan was just going to roll with it.

Anakin stared at Kanan. "The deer read fanfiction."

Kanan just shot Anakin a grin. "The deer like words. The fanfiction was just convenient."

"I do not," Obi-Wan said, "Want to know what manner of fanfiction it is."

He and Anakin had experiences. Experiences.

Anakin shuddered slightly. "Me either. Pair up, if you'd like, and build the teal deer some shelter. I recommend speaking briefly if you don't want them to harass you."

"Then I won't tell you," Kanan said cheerfully, and then he motioned to a pile of tools and building supplies. "Everything you need is over there. If you have any questions, I've built one or two of these things in my time. Or you can just enjoy the fine reading materials that have been provided, but we'll probably judge you for it."

Comments

Build teal deer huts!

[sith_happened]

Or read moddable fanfiction. Or both!

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[snipsnspecks]

Ahsoka didn't actually mean to read the fanfiction, but it was just there and she didn't have anything better to do.

Then she found a page that made it clear who it was about.

Thanks for that trauma, Isabela Kanan.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

Building teal deer huts or reading fan fiction? She might not be familiar with the latter, but it was reading.

It would prove an interesting experience.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot loved building things. She really did. But when she realized that the deer shelter didn't have automatic doors or crystalline staircases, some of the magic was sucked out of the project.

So she let herself get distracted by the 'fan fiction' that was meant to be one of the building supplies as she attempted to prop up one of the walls that it was stapled to. She was a little small to be any good with the wall, but trying to puzzle out what those parts of human anatomy were or what their purpose might possibly be was giving her incentive to keep on trying.

It was an educational exercise.

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

"This is very bad literature," Lucille felt the need to inform Peridot. "You will find much better in the library."

She was reading it herself with some interest though. This made clear what Professor Anakin had been talking about last week, when he had been worried about stories being written about him.

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot blinked and tilted her head, her little feet struggling to find purchase in the leaves while she held up that wall segment.

She needed to know how that paragraph ended!

"... They have better? Does it make more sense?"

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

"Yes," Lucille assured her, although this being Peridot it was hard to know. "It is also often about matters other than... pleasures of a certain kind."

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Lucille, you really had to know that this question was coming, by now.

"... Which kind is that?"

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

It wasn't always easy for a 19th century girl to explain things to a gem. She decided that now was the time to be blunt.

"Sex. Which isn't a topic only found in this kind of writing of course."

[And reading this on my computer instead of on my phone I realize it's not that clear that Lucille is referring to fan fiction here and not "good literature". I confuse myself and Peridot.]

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot was staring up at Lucille, now, with wide eyes. She was processing.

"... That's the thing that humans often do because it's fun, even though it's intended to create more of your species?"

She was learning. Slowly. She looked back at the pages she'd been reading.

"That's how it works?!"

EW. EW. EW. EW. EW. EW.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

"Well," Lucille said, doing her best not to be a 19th century girl. "Many of the things described there will not result in babies. There has to be..." And here she trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

RE: Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot looked expectantly at Lucille, still struggling with that wall.

This would be so much easier with her limb enhancers.

"... There has to be...?"

She was never going to know. It was never going to happen.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[crimson_sister]

Lucille took a deep breath, then lowered her voice so that no one else could hear.

"A man puts his... inside a woman's... and there has to be... bodily fluids. Semen. Egg."

Lucille was unaware of the other possibilities offered by the multiverse (and fan fiction) as well as a less binary view of gender and a less androcentric explanation. She was after all from the 19th century, even if her knowledge about this mostly came from books in the library.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot was mostly just staring blankly, now.

"... Everything is about fluids with your species, isn't it?"

In the wake of a long string of unfinished sentences, that was the point she was going to zero in on, yes.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[giveherahand]

Mara's face was screwed up in distaste at the story in front of her. "This only works if the person is triple-jointed and has three arms."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[uncertain_dume]

"So pretend he's a particluarly flexible besalisk," Kanan offered, making his way over with a couple of pieces of plywood under one arm. You know. For shelter building purposes. "I didn't write the stuff, I just hit 'print' on it."

He might also have read a lot of it. And laughed and laughed and laughed...

"Speaking of hands, I don't suppose I could borrow yours? I need someone to hold this in place while I hammer."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[giveherahand]

"Sure," Mara said, holding up the plywood for him. "I didn't know you taught this class too."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan gave Mara a casual grin.

"Yeah, well, I'm not kidding when I say I've done a bit of everything. Made sense to pull me in to help with the construction work, after all." Kanan reached into a pocket on his belt, pulling out a couple of nails before adjusting the angle of the board. "I'm still not sold on the whole teacher gig, but I don't mind the chance to touch base with the students, either."

Just think, Mara! Kanan could be anywhere!

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[giveherahand]

How wonderful.

"By ambushing them in other classes," Mara said, arching an eyebrow up. "Fiendish."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[uncertain_dume]

"Convenient, too," Kanan agreed, smiling brightly. "You weren't in mine this semester, and I never claimed to be a great guy."

He lined up the nail with the board, pulled out his hammer - just a regular old Earth tool, it was actually kind of quaint, really - and started tapping it in. Fairly gently, actually. He wasn't actually trying to make a show of force.

"I'm not going to strong-arm you into some kind of long, invasive chat, Mara. That's not actually my goal here. But I'd be lying if I said, after the other weekend, that I wouldn't appreciate the opportunity to talk with you about a few things."

One nail was done, and he pulled out a second one, lining it up with the board.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[giveherahand]

"I don't think I'm bound for a life of carpentry, if that was what you were wondering," Mara said.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[uncertain_dume]

"Right, right," Kanan agreed breezily. "Dancer."

Said with all the sincerity of a person who believed that line, really, honest.

"Must be a popular one, judging by the company you keep."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[giveherahand]

LJ, bite me and your lack of notification.

"I work in the Palace," she said evenly.

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah," Kanan replied, glancing at her sidelong for a moment before pulling out another nail. "That doesn't surprise me."

That much, at least, he didn't think was a lie.

He sighed.

"I don't want to have a conversation in front of other students that might put you in an uncomfortable or even dangerous position, Mara," he said, finally. "But we both know somebody like him doesn't come somewhere like this just to check up on the entertainment. I would like the chance to talk with you about it, that's all. After your stop in the diner, it would help me sleep better at night, at least."

Re: Build teal deer huts!

[boneyard_girl]

Ada was happy to get busy building huts, and was hard at work, not even slightly distracted by the idea of the fanfiction.

Besides, she could always ask Isabela to read her some later.