An hour after the start of the Jaunt, asking important questions

[naturaltwohands]

... I suspect these questions may be on the minds of others, and it is on mine because it obvious differs much from the one of my childhood:

What is it like to attend a school? What should we know about it? What is expected of us? Are our studies canceled right now?

Comments

[helborn]

... I only know how the Canadian and American school systems function, but you basically study a lot of subjects and take a lot of tests. They're mostly like math and science and history and stuff like that.

[Private]

And usually you get picked on a lot if you're different at all, because kids are assholes and teachers are often useless.

[Bitter, who's bitter?]

[naturaltwohands]

That's already far better than my previous experience. What sort of tests? Tests of skill?

[Private]

... Well, if that happens, I will simply teach them that is a very bad idea. If drow children will not mess with me, I doubt human children will mess with me, either.

[helborn]

Uh. Not really. More memorizing things. Like if you were taking a history test, you might have to answer questions as to what were the causes of this or that war, or who was the prime minister during such and such period... the only sort of 'tests of skill' were in gym and that was more 'can you meet the minimum requirement for this physical task?' sort of thing.

[Private]

I can probably handle myself on that point now, though I'm going to try to not blow our cover. We don't need people finding holes in the doors here, too.

[naturaltwohands]

[With a faint bit of horror to it.]

... I am nearly seven decades old, and none of my experiences have prepared me for taking such tests.

[Private]

If you wish, I could teach you Martial Arts. My moves are of a way to use the enemy's body against them, and there are ways to minimize injuries to an opponent. Just enough to encourage a bully to think before they do such a thing the next time.

[helborn]

You'll be okay. I can help you study or... at least figure out how to give them some of the answers they want. I'm not good at some subjects though, but I bet other people are.

[Private]

Might be helpful. I don't have real formal training, just learning by experience and 'oh yeah that looks like it hurt that guy pretty bad'.

[naturaltwohands]

I would greatly appreciate your help. I'm prepared for war, battle, and living in the wilds, not--[A long pause.]--tests.

[Private]

Then let us meet up sometime. It is a skill I can transfer to you quickly. It is the same as other skills that we pick up on other worlds.

[thezerothlaw]

You didn't have schools? Curious.

[naturaltwohands]

We did have schools in Menzoberranzan, but that's where the similarities end to the modern world, as our schools taught evil. I attended the school of fighters, Melee-Magthere. Our focus was on weaponry, fighting, and group battle tactics, mostly. We also had education in our "history", magic, and the vile, unholy religion of the Spider Goddess, Lolth. Assassination was considered an extracurricular activity; one classmate died from a dagger to the heart and another was quickly dismissed and executed for failing his attempt to assassinate another student. A third was killed in the practice arena.

... From what I have gathered from my time here, that is highly unusual for most schools.

[That last bit is sarcastic, btw, but with a bit of gentleness because this is Daneel.]

[thezerothlaw]

[It takes Daneel a moment to gather a response to this.]

Yes, I would say that is unusual. I'm sorry, Drizzt. That does not sound like anything any child should experience.

[naturaltwohands]

[There's a note of apology in Drizzt's mental voice.]

It is not. But you can understand somewhat why I am having a hard time finding my bearings. I can already see similarities to Melee-Magthere, yet it's a school that's anything like those horrors. It's... disorienting.

[thezerothlaw]

Understood.

I believe, Drizzt, that the primary purpose of any good school is to nurture while they educate. My overlay is a teacher, and he values personal growth and exploration. He would not have a student under him harmed, as I would not.

... But yes, studies are less stressed at the moment.

[shiroganeheir]

I cannot speak to if studies are cancelled or not, but schools are... interesting places.

In my world, they are regimented places where one learns prescribed information in a formal setting. Much of the time, they encourage neither creativity nor individuality, as everyone is expected to dress and act and learn the same.

[Someone is a cynical so-and-so today.]

Perhaps that is just my area of the world, first of all. Second, school is what you make of it. One can do things that makes the entire situation more tenable.

[naturaltwohands]

Then my experiences have not been altogether different.

[There's a heavy dose of sarcasm there. I mean, look at what he just told Daneel.]

Casper has mentioned math, science, history, and gym? And tests for them? We were never tested on anything except in direct practice.

[finalizes]

This is a school?

[...]

Are we supposed to participate?

[naturaltwohands]

Unfortunately, yes. I have an identification card tied to the school and stating my year. You likely have one as well on your person.

[finalizes]

[Give him a minute or so...]

I have one.

[.......AND THEN ANOTHER ONE.

And then a sensory livestream, showing an ID card of Teikoku.

Should he be able to read this? Past his name, he can identify his name.]

[naturaltwohands]

[And then suddenly sensory livestreaming.]

You're with the Japanese school? So is Casper.

[Guess who can totally read that because translation magic.]

[finalizes]

[Sadly translation magic only lets him read up to a second-month-of-first-grade level, because that's where he is with his reading. And that's not enough to read a Japanese ID card.]

Most people there seem to be infiltrated.

[fearinahandfulof]

I don't know, either.

[naturaltwohands]

[Drizzt can remember enough about Cassandra to know that her life hasn't been normal. And he realizes he has not visited her in a while and has a pang of guilt. He's going to have to change that very soon, perhaps even during the Jaunt.]

You and I are in the same boat, Cassandra. I know some of what it is to be like in a school, but not like this. We should share what we learn as we go.

[fearinahandfulof]

McGonagall's told me a little about schools, but otherwise what I remember is... not this.

[Mostly, she remembers constant training and a "final exam" that most trainees didn't survive.]

[naturaltwohands]

You and I both, my dear friend. This place is meant to nurture, not to harm or to teach violence. It is strange, is it not?

[fearinahandfulof]

Very.

[And Cassandra is feeling very isolated right now as a result.]

[eldritchwheelies]

Based on my experience with American schools, reading some books that I'm suspiciously reminded of, and having been a Lone Star student until I got woken up?

There's a set schedule of classes, set to the school clock and calendar. If you haven't gotten one you'll be given one, and expected to memorize it and be on time. Generally they're 9 in the morning to 3 or 4 in the afternoon, except on weekends.

In addition to specialized art classes of your choice, you'll be expected to attend basic grammar and math classes based on earlier classes you 'should have' passed, and some foreign language and science classes as well. Chemistry, physics, stuff more to teach you how to think like a scientist and repeating famous experiments than learning your own stuff.

You'll be expected to do some work between classes. Sometimes the math class doesn't know what the lit class is doing and they both assign way too much. No, this isn't fair. Don't worry about doing perfectly, you're allowed to make some mistakes, getting less than perfect marks isn't the end of the world and we don't have authority figures to bitch about it.

[naturaltwohands]

This is all very, very helpful, but I suspect that I may, in fact, be entirely doomed.

I have never learned anything about art, math, or science. Foreign languages I can pick up quickly, and I am used to a set schedule for these sorts of things, but the rest... It is all beyond my realm of experience. And I have been told of tests, but I cannot even picture what one looks like!