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

Comments

Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[myownface]

Take a look at the table, at least the stuff below the top two rows, and list off a few things you figure are most important, and then a few things you think are least important. Share with the class, bonus points if you explain your reasoning.

And if you figure any of the stuff in the top two rows is missing something, or that any of it absolutely does not apply to you, please, speak up. Human needs are easy. Getting a cross-section of the needs of all the sentient races in the classroom was harder.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

Rufus eyed the table. He suspected, from it's prominence, that 'Affection' was supposed to be rather important to most people.

At least the first two sections were nicely sensible.

"Creation would be a pretty important one," Rufus said thoughtfully. "Don't they say that necessity is the mother of invention? If you absolutely need something, it helps to have the ability to create a way to get it. And having a strong sense of identity as well, because if you don't know yourself, how would you ever know what you need?"

He cast another glance at the table. "I would rate the 'Affection' section and the 'Leisure' sections as the least important."

But then, really, Rufus would.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[myownface]

"Wow... those entire rows, huh?" Sparkle gave him a wry smile. "Anything in particular in those rows that jumps out at you, or are you going to just blanket rule out affection and leisure entirely?"

Sparkle would go nuts without basic human contact, and there was something to be said for how difficult it was to scrape one's way up from rock bottom without it, but he was curious as to where Rufus was going, here.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

"Well, respect isn't worthless," Rufus conceded, only because he supposed ruling out everything was a bit much. "Though I question why it is under 'Affection' in the first place. You can loathe someone and respect them at the same time."

Other than that, though, Rufus wasn't big on either affection or leisure in general, so...

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[myownface]

"I think affection is supposed to be a sort of catch-all for fulfilling social needs," Sparkle mused, looking at the table thoughtfully. "That one and participation together, anyway. Though some people put a high importance on feeling valued. Either way, respect probably fits under that one more than participation, at least."

Max-Neef and company probably could have found a better word for that one, granted.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

Tip rolled her eyes. "Well. Aren't you just a bad ass."

She'd agree with him on the creation thing, though.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

"I'm afraid I don't follow. I was asked my opinion and I gave it."

Rufus sounded bored.

Because he was.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

"Uh huh. And how much of your life have you actually spent with literally zero leisure time or activities?"

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

He'd been designing escape routes when he was five. Ones that had been deemed clever and useful enough to be built into the ShinRa Building.

Even playing with Dark Nation was worked around his self-inflicted training regime.

"You seem to be looking for an argument, given how judgemental you're being," Rufus said, very mildly. "Why? Because I have a different view point than you? How big of you."

He gave her a dismissive glance.

"Nice of you to assume that everyone leads, or cares to lead, a life similar to yours."

Rufus saw no reason to explain himself to her.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

And yet it was still play. That he fit in, even with a self-inflicted training schedule.

"You're the one who just dismissed, like, the entire population of the multiverse as unimportant, dude," Tip said. She was deeply unimpressed with your cool, Rufus, and she was more than used to being accused of being 'argumentative' or 'judgmental'. "'Cause, what, you're just too cool to relax?"

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

“Because I just don’t care,” Rufus said, absolutely honest. “If everyone upped and died tonight and I woke up alone tomorrow, I wouldn’t give a shit.”

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

"Oh, I definitely believe you think you wouldn't," Tip said. "And I'll grant there's a small possibility it might even be true. But it's a much bigger possibility that you'll slowly go insane and die a whole lot sooner than you would if the rest of the world hadn't vanished."

Tip had actually had the entire population of her world effectively go away, when the Boov loaded them all up on transport ships and she'd decided to sneak off in her mom's car instead. She knew what she was talking about.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

Rufus waited, after she finished speaking, to see if she was actually done.

Okay, good.

"And what," he asked slowly, "if I don't care if I die too?"

He'd rather he didn't, of course--unless it served his purposes, in which case Rufus really didn't care.

Besides, if being alone really got to him that much (he didn't think it would) it wasn't like he went about unarmed. There was no need to die a slow, humiliating death to madness and starvation.

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

"If you don't care if you die," Tip said, not sounding for a moment like she believed him. "Why are you taking an urban suvival class?"

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[studyingfear]

"Because I was bored," Rufus said, bemused. "Certainly not for my own survival."

Re: Basic Human (Or Whatever) Needs

[intotheout]

Right, so Rufus was either an idiot, or he was full of shit. Tip stared at him for a moment longer, then shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Then smiled to herself as she imagined what the Chief would have to say about his nonsense. She'd had a nice dream about him the night before, so he was quite fresh in her mind.