Urban Survival - The Uglier Side of City Living, Wednesday, Period 2

[myownface]

"Okay," Sparkle said, clapping his hands and grinning at the students in the... fancy classroom. "So before we get into any of the 'now you are on your own and have to survive in a damn city with basically nothing' shit, first we have to figure out what you have to worry about in that situation. Or like, any situation. Those of you who aren't human are going to have to correct me if I'm wrong here- I don't want to speak for the basic needs for anyone I can't be sure about and lead you astray, but if there's something I miss that's pivotal, or if you actually don't need any of what I've listed, let me know. We want to end this semester with you not having wasted your time, you know?"

Unfortunately, all of Sparkle's extensive googling hadn't unveiled a list of basic Togruta needs or anything, so he was going to have to work with what he had unless directed otherwise.

"So, with trepidation in my heart of hearts, here there is a handout of fundamental human needs, which looked thorough enough to be useful while also seeming open-ended enough that most of it should apply to everyone in the room. Again, please, god, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm from one of the boring Earths." And was apparently the only one in this room who could say that. He was going to try not to let what an intimidating thought that was show on his face as he gestured to a stack of handouts. "This one is a table, most of what I've found are pyramids, which, while pretty, don't, like, actually go into depth about stuff like what 'physiological' is supposed to mean. This one has columns. You know it's being thorough when it has columns."

... Cough. Shrug. Grin sheepishly at the class.

"What we're mostly going to focus on this semester are the things in the 'subsistence' and 'protection' rows. Which isn't to say that the other stuff isn't important at all - I mean, freedom? Hugely freaking important too, and we'll probably touch on it down the road anyway. But a lot of the stuff below the top two rows kind of starts settling into 'suggestion' territory instead of 'requirement.' Especially if you're in dire straits and can't exactly make it to bingo night at the local church or whatever. Things like your health, your ability to eat, clothing and a shelter are a little bit less optional. They're also things that you've got a better chance of having at least some control over. I know 'equal rights' isn't exactly something we all have the luxury of saying we have. It's also not something you can necessarily focus on doing something about while you're struggling to survive. That one's a trap. We are definitely going to talk about that trap later on, too. But today... I just want you to look at the table. Get to know the table, and what your priorities on it are. Then I want you to go through the table from Affection on down and tell me a few things you think are most important, and a few things you figure you could probably get by without, at least for a while. A lot of that stuff is stuff we aren't going to cover in class, but if, like, half of you think I should be, I'm going to want to know."

Because seeing where people's priorities sat was fun and educational, okay?

Comments

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[myownface]

Oh, kid, you were kind of breaking his heart, here.

"But once you know you're someone," he said gently, "it's important to nurture that part of you that you've found. That doesn't mean you have to separate yourself from the people who matter. Maybe those relationships are a part of what you are, too, but you're still you. You," he pointed at her, "are a unique and distinct individual perfect personality all on your own, just like everybody else. You're still you. Even if we look at the classroom at a whole, you're still you. You're a part of something else, but you're a part that makes the whole and a whole, important, unique personality at the same time."

Which was so not what this class was supposed to be about. But hey, he'd take the detour anyway.

"I've already met you twice, and already I can tell that you're passionate about helping the people around you. You're good at healing people and a bit pushy when it comes to taking care of them," he smiled faintly. "And that was just you, one on one. That's just some of what goes in the identity slot, and it can go into the participation slot too. Why not? There'll be aspects of both that don't necessarily cross over, but that doesn't mean they have to be entirely distinct, either."

RE: Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[greenexorcist.livejournal.com]

Shiemi blushed at his compliments. "O... Okay." She still thought it was different, what she was trying to say. After all, she hadn't known she was anything other than a girl who was good at gardening and bad at being with people until she got her demon taint and joined the ExWires. Now she knew she was so much more... that she had a place she not only belonged but that, well not defined her but that had opened up new terms she hadn't known could be used to define her.

"I guess I just... think that those two are a lot more the same than they are separate."

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[myownface]

"Okay," Sparkle said, shrugging his shoulders. "Then for you, they're the same. For a lot of people, they're not. For me, they're super not. It varies person to person, so if you want to group all that stuff together and it works for you, sure. I can't. Like, I literally can't. The idea of saying my identity has that much to do with participation kind of makes me want to puke. I am not the things I do with people. For the longest time, who I was was way too tied up in how I survived people. That's why those categories can't be the same, kiddo. Because for every person who groups them together, there's at least another one out there who had to keep them distinct and apart. The world takes all types."

He shrugged.

There were the co-dependent ones, and there were the abused. And that was just a tiny sampling of what humanity had to offer.