fandomhigh | Civics, Friday, September 1, 2017

"One more day," Tony said as class began. "You made it through the first week of the semester with, hopefully, minimal damage. I'm Tony Stark, you can call me Tony if you want. And this--" He paused, glancing over at his teaching partner.

"I'm Steve Rogers. Please don't call me Steve. It's strange."

TONY.

"This is civics class--the study of our government, which will hopefully lead to greater understanding of how it works. Or doesn't, depending."

Welcome to class where your teachers vented about the current political situation going on off the island. It was fun. Sort of.

Tony tried very hard to look cheerful as he added, "If you are new to this place or come from a different time, planet, or governmental system, we will be focusing on the version of democracy practiced within the United States we currently reside in. This timeline. This awful, awful timeline."

"But if it's not your real one, it's an excellent case study in what not to do," Steve said, trying to be optimistic. "Today's going to be the last time you'll have to do introductions, we promise."

"Until next semester. Sorry." Tony was not sorry at all. "But we'll let you off easy because it's Friday and you've been through enough. Tell us your name and your experience with government and we'll do something both political and crafty."

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Patriotically!

Edited 2017-09-01 12:21 (UTC)

Who are you? What's your experience with government?

There's poster board, markers and glitter (so much glitter). Make a protest sign or two.

"If you use your signs to protest any time during the semester, we'll give you extra credit," Steve said. "Take a selfie where you are and send it to us as proof, okay?"

Steve was currently drawing a pretty darn impression caricature of the Cheeto in Chief on a piece of poster board but was up for interruptions.

It's decorative gourd season!

Peridot

Peridot stood up on the nearest chair, mostly so that she could actually be seen. The joy of being three foot nothing, including hair.

"I'm Peridot, Facet 2F5L, Cut 5XG," she said, standing a little straighter as she rattled off her name, facet, and cut. "And I used to serve Yellow Diamond of the Great Diamond Authority back on Homeworld."

She paused, and then a little more quietly, she added, "I don't, anymore. I refused to allow the geoweapon she had planted in the Earth's core take form and destroy the world. So now I'm kind of..."

She waved a hand around a little. A rebel? A hero?

"A traitorous clod."

Or that.

Peridot stared at the poster board. And at the markers. And at the glitter.

"I don't get it."

Protesting wasn't so much a thing on Homeworld.

Summer Smith

"Like, hi!" Summer beamed, having a little bit of a aren't you two so glad to see me in your class again smirk on her face. She threw in a little wave before going into her thing. "I'm, like, Summer Smith, you totally know that because I've been in your classes, like, before, but I'm really excited to be taking this one too? I'm, like, totally from the United States but in, like, a different reality, so I, like, totally get democracy? And I can so totally appreciate it more now that, like, my reality was until recently taken over by a totally bogus Galactic Federation that seemed all democratic, but it was so totally not, ohmygod. That government? Suuuuucked. This one's much better, even with...um...well, you know."

Not even a robot version of a girl who had lived under tyrannical alien overlords could say it.

But she moved on and brightened again. "So, yeah! So totally stoked to be back in class with you guys! Yay civics!"

Summer could help!

"It's, like, totally a way to broadcast your, like, dissatisfaction with something to, like, the world," she offered when she noticed Peridot having a bit of a struggle. She, too, wasn't quite sure what she was going to protest, because the biggest thing she had to protest wasn't a thing anymore. "I mean, I guess it's, like, totally supposed to be something political because of the class, but what's something that, like, you totally think is unfair and not right and you want to, like, totally tell people all about it so that it can, like, so totally be changed?"

Peridot squinted a little more at her sheet of paper.

"... I don't know," she admitted, after a long pause. "I'm here to learn about those things."

She tilted her head as she glanced up at Summer. Then back at the poster supplies. Then back up at Summer again.

"What if I just make it a catch-all sort of poster?"

Tony's sign lit up. Because of course it did.

He was sipping his coffee, keeping an out out for anyone who might need help.

Oh, Peridot.

"Hello, Peridot," Tony said sympathetically. "Can I ask why you decided to go against the--" You were forcing him to say this. "--Great Diamond Authority?"

"Hello again, Summer." He was trying not to laugh at the number of 'like's in there, but mostly failing. "A Galactic Federation? Is that just code for evil empire?"

Peridot frowned and squirmed a little bit.

"I'd misunderstood Yellow Diamond's intentions and methods," she said, finally. "I believed that she was a logical Gem, and that everything she did was for the betterment of our people. But when I tried to tell her about Earth's value and suggest alternatives to destroying the entire planet, she refused to listen."

She squirmed a bit.

"So I called her a clod and she tried to detonate a bomb in my immediate vicinity instead."

"Ooh, that's totally perfect!" said Summer brightly. "Like, something you could use to protest anything that, like, totally needed protesting. And, hey, like, you could go to, like, any rally and totally get that extra credit, too, because it'll fit in, like, anywhere."

Summer took a long, hard moment to think of some of the hot-button issues in the world today before she finally settled on a topic that she felt she had strong enough opinions to make a sign about it.

It was pink and as glittery as she could make it and very bold proclaimed:

JUST SAY NO
TO SQUIGGLE BROWS

Peridot considered this for a long moment before giving a brief, determined nod, and making a reach for a green marker. Because of course it was a green marker.

Stop Acting Like Clods

"There."

That was going to need some glitter, but it was a fully functional protest sign all the same, if you were a Peridot, anyway.

Tony nodded along with that. "Well, I'm sure the people on earth appreciated your efforts."

"They remain unaware of how close they came to utter annihilation," Peridot said, shrugging. "I didn't do it for accolades. I did it because I happen to live here, too."

And didn't much want to die.

"I didn't think you did, but I'm sure that, if they knew, none of them would think you're a clod."

Some might, but some people just sucked.

Well, Peridot hadn't done it for those people.

"... It still doesn't change that I can never go back home," she said, after a moment. "Earth is strange, but I suppose now it's all I've got."

So she was pretty glad it hadn't been destroyed, anyway.

"Uh, yeah," said Summer. "Like, totally. Like, they didn't even try, right? I mean, I guess they, like, tried a little bit, it's not like they're just running around calling themselves just the Empire like some evil empires around here."

"Stop Acting Like Clods," Summer read it aloud, considered it, nodded her head, and then laughed.

"Perfect! It's so, like, versatile! That's smart, like totally smart. I'm going to totally make a catch-all one, too. I think....I think it'll say You are being so totally lame right now. What do you think? Too, like, wordy?"

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Civics, Friday, September 1, 2017

Sign in 9/1

Introductions!

Craft time!

Talk to Steve and Tony

OOC

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