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[dormition]

Hi. I'm back.


What I learned on my road trip:

1. Always take a head count before you drive off.

2. Ken-kun is a trustworthy keeper of the coffee.

3. Akihiko-senpai and Gogo-san should not be driving the cars at the same time.

4. Tadashi-san has no idea when people flirt with him.

5. Flowers in Animal Crossing are very serious.

6. Akihiko-senpai should probably not have been introduced to coffee. Sorry.

7. Points 2, 3 and 6 are related.

8. Everyone looks cute in mouse ears. Everyone, including Shinjiro-senpai.

9. If you go camping, you have to have a fire, smores, and ghost stories. And scorpions.

10. Dippin Dots.

11. It takes Hiro-kun and Tadashi-san less than fifteen minutes to completely dismantle a car.

12. No one else wants to hear the Rocky soundtrack ever again.

13. California has a lot of traffic. Corollary: America is very big.

14. Points 11 and 13 are related; see Tadashi-san's previous post.

15. Hotel beds can only comfortably fit two people. Some people would rather sleep in a bath tub.

16. Jaime-kun is a wimp about eating weird food. I finished it.

17. I missed getting to fight evil jello with Hiro-kun.

18. It's okay to text someone when they're sitting next to you.

19. Driving at night while everyone is asleep is peaceful.

20. I'm glad I have my friends. And I think I made a couple new ones.


Also, I have souvenirs. Including some for a few others... Oba-san, I got you something, too.

And I was wondering, what happened at the swear in this month?

Comments

[rathercommon]

Yeah, definitely. I mean...Humans are social animals, right? So it's really important to them how the rest of society perceives them. So even though it's REALLY stupid to be wrapped up in appearances, you can see where it comes from.

[dormition]

I guess they are. It's an unfulfilled need if you aren't social then, isn't it? You can deny the need if you want to, but... doesn't it come up eventually?

[rathercommon]

I think THAT'S a moot point. Have you ever met someone who wasn't social? It's unavoidable.

[dormition]

Until this year, I wasn't.

[rathercommon]

Until this year, you'd never talked to anyone?

[dormition]

Not if I could help it. A certain amount of conversation was inevitable, but most people leave you alone if you don't say anything.

[rathercommon]

Still counts.

[dormition]

If you don't connect with anyone, is that still being social?

[rathercommon]

Yeah.

[dormition]

If you say so.

[Minato's not exactly going to try to put into words just how complete his self-imposed isolation was, emotionally and mentally if not physically. But he's not one to argue, either.]

[rathercommon]

What, is that all you've got?

[dormition]

Your perspective isn't less important than mine. There's no reason for me to try to change it.

[rathercommon]

Well, that's a bit rude, isn't it.

[dormition]

I thought it was respectful.

[rathercommon]

It's apathy, isn't it. And apathy is the opposite of friendliness. Anger and hatred at least mean a human connection, while apathy means not even being willing to bother with someone else.

[dormition]

[This hits a little closer to home than he'd like to admit. But...]

You're right. But free will is important, too, isn't it? If I only spoke to people who agreed with me, I never would have changed.

[rathercommon]

Yeah, true enough. Actually, REALLY true, which is why it's really awfully silly that you're running away from disagreement right now, isn't it?

[dormition]

Do you like people who argue with you?

[If so, he can do that. He's had weirder friends by far.]

[rathercommon]

I guess, sort of. Not exactly. Honestly, it's more that I like people who engage. With me, or with others, or with life generally. Who think. Who care, really.

[dormition]

I understand. It's hard to care, but you're not really alive unless you do.

[rathercommon]

Oh, I don't know - everyone's got a different bloody idea of what a good life is, right? Some people think that a rewarding life's just a long one, or one where at your funeral all anyone can say is, 'Oh, what a decent sort.' But in MY opinion, yeah. Life's not worthwhile unless it's a life lived passionately.

[dormition]

[Minato might not be apathetic anymore, but 'passionate' is probably a stretch. He has to agree that all of his friends are very passionate people, though, and his respect for his friends is sufficient for that to automatically become a desirable trait in his mind.]

I agree. So what are you passionate about?

[Because Minato is always most interested in learning about others. If he had a passion, that would be it.]

[rathercommon]

Me? Freedom, I suppose. And knowledge.

[dormition]

Has that been better or worse for you here?

[rathercommon]

In my home world, most of us are kept illiterate so that we won't have access to the information contained in books, and we're not allowed to hold all but the most menial of jobs. We're not allowed to travel. We're not allowed to vote or protest or assemble or strike back in any way against our oppressors.

It's better here.