Revenge of Ask T Questions

[Sri]

I think with Stan it's more about finding a circle of people who share the same values and ethics; I'm not surprised at all to see him in politics. From my reading, the choices Stan made reflected an ethical system that didn't mesh with those of the people he hung out with in high school. I don't see his feeling "small" as exile or ostracism on the part of his former classmates, but more of a square peg / round hole problem. His choices made him a square peg and he no longer fits in.

On an unrelated note, I've seen it mentioned a few times that Belleville High School is a private school. From (re-)reading the archives, I never picked up that it was anything other than a public school (perhaps with more resources due to a wealthier tax base). Did I miss a reference? I do remember that Karen went to a different high school, which was private.

I think most of us originally based it on this comic. http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=564 Rich mentions tuition money, which is usually a private school thing. And I think T has referred to it as a private school in his answers to things.

[snowmansam]

I think most of us originally based it on this comic. http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=564 Rich mentions tuition money, which is usually a private school thing. And I think T has referred to it as a private school in his answers to things.

Huh, I totally missed that one. Thanks!


Edited to fix attribution

[TCampbell]

I'm glad to hear that Stan wasn't really doing anything shifty. Is he still in touch with anyone, other than Jack and Katy-Ann?

Depends how you define "shifty:" I doubt his ad techniques for the Senator's campaign are completely clean. But they're not actually illegal.

Contact with others... the occasional hi on iEden and such. But nothing lasting. His high school friends and allies tend to be polite but to make him feel smaller all the same, whether they mean to or not. Even Brandi's a reminder of what he could have had.

Basically, with treatment like that, Stan's honestly better off staying out of touch with them so he can get himself a fresh start? (to say nothing of a much better chance at maybe making some friends that are willing to actually give him the benefit of the doubt that he can improve himself and stay that way... no, not speaking from too much personal experience here...)

Yeah, beyond any question. Old friends see you through old eyes, for better or worse, unless something drastic happens-- and even then they never entirely forget their old impressions. Many of us find this valuable, but for Stan, trying to impress someone like Sara would always be a losing proposition.

[TCampbell]

I think with Stan it's more about finding a circle of people who share the same values and ethics; I'm not surprised at all to see him in politics. From my reading, the choices Stan made reflected an ethical system that didn't mesh with those of the people he hung out with in high school. I don't see his feeling "small" as exile or ostracism on the part of his former classmates, but more of a square peg / round hole problem. His choices made him a square peg and he no longer fits in.

On an unrelated note, I've seen it mentioned a few times that Belleville High School is a private school. From (re-)reading the archives, I never picked up that it was anything other than a public school (perhaps with more resources due to a wealthier tax base). Did I miss a reference? I do remember that Karen went to a different high school, which was private.

I think most of us originally based it on this comic. http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=564 Rich mentions tuition money, which is usually a private school thing. And I think T has referred to it as a private school in his answers to things.

Yeah. It's funny how many people assumed it was a public school when there was no evidence one way or another. I'm taking it as a compliment. I think they subconsciously thought, "I identify with these characters, their lives are like my life, and I went to public school." No way to be sure, though.

[snowmansam]

Yeah. It's funny how many people assumed it was a public school when there was no evidence one way or another. I'm taking it as a compliment. I think they subconsciously thought, "I identify with these characters, their lives are like my life, and I went to public school." No way to be sure, though.

It is funny how sometimes our personal biases allow us to make assumptions

I jumped to the public school conclusion based on the name of the school (seen in the last panel here). I just assumed that 1)Belleville was the name of the town (feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong), and 2) anyplace calling itself <Town> High School would be the public school for the area. I'm used to seeing private schools with names like "<something something> Preparatory" or something with a Saint's name in it.



Edited to fix hyperlinking

[Fen]

BTW. Random questions.

1) How did Michelle's parents afford a private school? Aren't they kind of very expensive?

2) why would mostly uncaring parents(such as Rich's or Helen's) bother sending their kids to private school?

3) I find this reunion a bit weird. I know the point of it is to allow up to catch up on what the characters have been doing, but aren't they all still in Belleville(which was not portrayed as a big city)? Since they keep in touch on iEden and occasionally bump into each other on the street, wouldn't everyone know what everyone is doing? I mean, I'm not saying they should be friends and all, but at least a glace at the "occupation" or profile picture on iEden would be enough.

4) will you make a special, extensive, guide to what everyone did after graduating highschool? At least for P&A plus? *puppy eyes*

[Valerie]

BTW. Random questions.

1) How did Michelle's parents afford a private school? Aren't they kind of very expensive?

2) why would mostly uncaring parents(such as Rich's or Helen's) bother sending their kids to private school?

Ooh, ooh, I might be able to answer these! Since I've been awkwarding up the forum anyway.

1) My dad was a pest control worker, and my school (St. Rose-- yes, they are all named after saints, as SnowmanSam said ) started out at something like $2,000 a year (in kindergarten) and gradually made its way to about $4,500 a year by eighth grade. Not sure exactly how much Belleville costs. I was living with my mom, and Dad paid for school, so we'll focus on him. Dad was always working and has always been a bare-essentials kind of guy. (For example, he now lives in an apartment, even though he also owns the house in front of it. His reasoning is that he doesn't need that much space.) So, assuming you care about your kid's education and are happy enough to squeak by until the kid graduates, it's doable. (And you don't even really have to be as extreme as my dad, considering he did have other expenses that Michelle's and Helen's parents wouldn't have, like child support and this really dumb thing involving his stepsister, it's a long story.)

2) Parents who don't seem to care at all almost always do on some level. As much as I hate to shine sympathy on Charlotte's mom, she's an example. She genuinely cared about Charlotte, she just... did it wrong. So the care that does exist will manifest itself in less emotional ways sometimes, like sending the kid to a good school, etc.

[TCampbell]

Yeah. It's funny how many people assumed it was a public school when there was no evidence one way or another. I'm taking it as a compliment. I think they subconsciously thought, "I identify with these characters, their lives are like my life, and I went to public school." No way to be sure, though.

It is funny how sometimes our personal biases allow us to make assumptions

I jumped to the public school conclusion based on the name of the school (seen in the last panel here). I just assumed that 1)Belleville was the name of the town (feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong), and 2) anyplace calling itself <Town> High School would be the public school for the area. I'm used to seeing private schools with names like "<something something> Preparatory" or something with a Saint's name in it.



Edited to fix hyperlinking

Gotcha! My private high school was the name of its city followed by "Academy." Maybe I should've gone with that. Nobody seems confused about Artemis Academy over in Magick Chicks (and by the way-- READ MAGICK CHICKS. Some of the best dialogue I've written all year is sprinkled in there, and Gisele and Dave's material is just as great). Then again, it is a high school for superheroines in training, so that's probably indication enough.

[TCampbell]

BTW. Random questions.

1) How did Michelle's parents afford a private school? Aren't they kind of very expensive?

2) why would mostly uncaring parents(such as Rich's or Helen's) bother sending their kids to private school?

Ooh, ooh, I might be able to answer these! Since I've been awkwarding up the forum anyway.

1) My dad was a pest control worker, and my school (St. Rose-- yes, they are all named after saints, as SnowmanSam said ) started out at something like $2,000 a year (in kindergarten) and gradually made its way to about $4,500 a year by eighth grade. Not sure exactly how much Belleville costs. I was living with my mom, and Dad paid for school, so we'll focus on him. Dad was always working and has always been a bare-essentials kind of guy. (For example, he now lives in an apartment, even though he also owns the house in front of it. His reasoning is that he doesn't need that much space.) So, assuming you care about your kid's education and are happy enough to squeak by until the kid graduates, it's doable. (And you don't even really have to be as extreme as my dad, considering he did have other expenses that Michelle's and Helen's parents wouldn't have, like child support and this really dumb thing involving his stepsister, it's a long story.)

2) Parents who don't seem to care at all almost always do on some level. As much as I hate to shine sympathy on Charlotte's mom, she's an example. She genuinely cared about Charlotte, she just... did it wrong. So the care that does exist will manifest itself in less emotional ways sometimes, like sending the kid to a good school, etc.

1) In addition, Michelle's family is a case of "downward mobility." Dad had a relatively high-paying job that he left to pursue his dream, and he didn't stop pursuing that dream when he probably should have. It became an outlet for his Peter Pan side after Michelle was too old to enjoy that any more, and his efforts to turn the business around only made him more focused on it and further worsened their relationship.

2) Rich's dad definitely cared about his future, and kept him in that school as long as he was able. Things with Helen's dad and Charlotte's mom are more complicated. They are not good parents by any stretch of the imagination, but they did have a sort of master plan for their children to blossom into happy and fulfilled people, even if their abusive natures meant the plans were doomed to fail.

[TCampbell]

BTW. Random questions.

3) I find this reunion a bit weird. I know the point of it is to allow up to catch up on what the characters have been doing, but aren't they all still in Belleville(which was not portrayed as a big city)? Since they keep in touch on iEden and occasionally bump into each other on the street, wouldn't everyone know what everyone is doing? I mean, I'm not saying they should be friends and all, but at least a glace at the "occupation" or profile picture on iEden would be enough.

4) will you make a special, extensive, guide to what everyone did after graduating highschool? At least for P&A plus? *puppy eyes*

3) Well, you notice no one has actually asked "So what are you doing now?" They're just telling lots of stories about what it's like to be doing the things they're doing, stories that don't necessarily fit into a status update. In the next page, Tharqa will reveal that she's already familiar with Sara and Daphne's occupations.

4) Well... it's a good idea for P&A Plus. So, probably. You'll find out about most of 'em in the text.

[mindstalk]

All still in Belleville? I'd assume they scatted for college and jobs. Sara in LA maybe, Stan probably between DC and whereever the Senator keeps his in-state office -- and it might not even be this state. Jack and K-A are probably still around, especially if they postponed college and/or depend on family help with the kid.

[TCampbell]

All still in Belleville? I'd assume they scatted for college and jobs. Sara in LA maybe, Stan probably between DC and whereever the Senator keeps his in-state office -- and it might not even be this state. Jack and K-A are probably still around, especially if they postponed college and/or depend on family help with the kid.

Certainly not all still in Belleville. Those are pretty good theories otherwise.

[Ollie]

I think with Stan it's more about finding a circle of people who share the same values and ethics; I'm not surprised at all to see him in politics. From my reading, the choices Stan made reflected an ethical system that didn't mesh with those of the people he hung out with in high school. I don't see his feeling "small" as exile or ostracism on the part of his former classmates, but more of a square peg / round hole problem. His choices made him a square peg and he no longer fits in.

On an unrelated note, I've seen it mentioned a few times that Belleville High School is a private school. From (re-)reading the archives, I never picked up that it was anything other than a public school (perhaps with more resources due to a wealthier tax base). Did I miss a reference? I do remember that Karen went to a different high school, which was private.

I think most of us originally based it on this comic. http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=564 Rich mentions tuition money, which is usually a private school thing. And I think T has referred to it as a private school in his answers to things.

Yeah. It's funny how many people assumed it was a public school when there was no evidence one way or another. I'm taking it as a compliment. I think they subconsciously thought, "I identify with these characters, their lives are like my life, and I went to public school." No way to be sure, though.

Why did you choose to make it a private school, if I may ask?

[TCampbell]

I think with Stan it's more about finding a circle of people who share the same values and ethics; I'm not surprised at all to see him in politics. From my reading, the choices Stan made reflected an ethical system that didn't mesh with those of the people he hung out with in high school. I don't see his feeling "small" as exile or ostracism on the part of his former classmates, but more of a square peg / round hole problem. His choices made him a square peg and he no longer fits in.

On an unrelated note, I've seen it mentioned a few times that Belleville High School is a private school. From (re-)reading the archives, I never picked up that it was anything other than a public school (perhaps with more resources due to a wealthier tax base). Did I miss a reference? I do remember that Karen went to a different high school, which was private.

I think most of us originally based it on this comic. http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=564 Rich mentions tuition money, which is usually a private school thing. And I think T has referred to it as a private school in his answers to things.

Yeah. It's funny how many people assumed it was a public school when there was no evidence one way or another. I'm taking it as a compliment. I think they subconsciously thought, "I identify with these characters, their lives are like my life, and I went to public school." No way to be sure, though.

Why did you choose to make it a private school, if I may ask?

I went to a public elementary school but a private high school. My cousins generally went to private high schools too. "Write what you know" is often an oversimplification, but in this case it seemed like good advice.

[Ollie]

I think most people (at least those who only went to public schools) tend to think of private schools as places with enforced uniform codes, maybe ivy-covered buildings?

Come to think of it, how did Rich ever get into that school?