Practical Philosophy, Friday

[endsthegame]

"It's been a calm week," said Ender, sitting as he was underneath a tree on the lawn. The usual spread of sandwiches and drinks was set out before everyone on the blanket.

"I've always found that this place inspires dread when it's quiet," he said, taking a thoughtful sip of his water. "That sense of 'something will happen, sometime, and we don't know when'."

He set his bottle down.

"But I'm told I'm a paranoid person," he said. "I'm curious about your experiences. Does Fandom have you sitting on the edge of your seat, alert and aware anything can happen? Or do you take a more easygoing approach - whatever will be, will be? Or has the island simply not given you anything to be fearful of, because you're used to worse?"

Comments

Re: Talk.

[white_oleander]

"I didn't always feel this way," Astrid said, with a small, almost wry, definitely quiet kind of sad smile, "but I think the over-the-topness makes it almost easier to deal with. Like, it's so overblown. But it's eventually over. The other stuff, the smaller things, they stay....more. They linger."

She nibbled the edge of a sandwich thoughtfully.

"I'm not afraid of dark forests any more, but I still don't like milk and certain shades of blue. You don't even realise how much those little things're cutting you down until you reach in and all you've got left are ribbons."

Re: Talk.

[endsthegame]

"'Lingchi'," said Ender. "Death by a thousand cuts. The Chinese left it for their worst criminals for a reason."

He picked up his bottle, thinking.

Re: Talk.

[white_oleander]

Astrid breathed out with something that might have been a faint laugh, taking a larger bite of her sandwich so that the excuse for politeness while chewing could excuse the silence that followed.

Their worst criminals. So...what was her crime, Mother? Being born? Or simply not being you?

She took a drink, the sugar cloyingly sweet.

What’s she guilty of? I mean, in your mind. Really. Murder, or being a lousy mother?

She shrugged. "No point in worrying about what tomorrow brings when you don't even know what's in store for today."

Re: Talk.

[endsthegame]

"I don't know," Ender said. "They do say preparation is half the battle."

Re: Talk.

[white_oleander]

"Yeah?" asked Astrid, with no avoiding the wryness in her grin now. "And what's the other half?

"Besides," she added, "there's just some stuff you can really prepare yourself for, anyway. Or you think you have, but you get it all wrong."

Re: Talk.

[endsthegame]

"The other half is improvisation when your plan turns out wrong," Ender said, mouth curving briefly.

Re: Talk.

[white_oleander]

"I think that maybe they," said Astrid, with a notch of a smile back, "might be a little off on their math."

Re: Talk.

[endsthegame]

"Do you really think that because your preparations might be wrong, you might as well not make them at all?"

Re: Talk.

[white_oleander]

"I never said that," Astrid said softly. "And I just think that maybe it's more 20/80 than 50/50. And there are things you just really can't prepare for."