fandomhigh | Destiny & Free Will, #1 [Period 1, Monday, July 7]

Ghanima was already in the classroom as the students assembled, leaning against her desk as they filed past her. Holding a steaming mug of Spice in her hands, she subjected each person to an apparently disinterested inspection from her glowing blue-on-blue eyes.

Not even a Bene Gesserit Truthsayer would have been able to tell what she was thinking.

The moment the bell rang, her eyes snapped from the door to the children seated around the room. “Good afternoon,” she said in a clear voice that carried effortlessly. "This is Destiny and Free Will. If you are in the wrong class, please consider this your opportunity to leave. Although it is entirely possible that if you are here, then you are where you are supposed to be, no matter what it says on your schedule."

"I am Lady Ghanima Atreides. You may address me as Miss Atreides, Lady Ghanima, Miss Ghanima, or some variation thereof. Be warned, however, that I do not answer to Lady Atreides. Lady Atreides is my grandmother, the Lady Jessica, and I have no desire to claim that title from her. For those of you whom I have had in class before," she smiled suddenly, looking far less severe. "Welcome back."

"This class is designed to look at the differing opinions on predestination and freewill from a variety of religious, temporal, and philosophical schools of thought. Regardless of any personal experiences you may have had on this topic, I expect everyone to maintain a respectful and open mind towards the subject matter and your classmates. Mocking destiny is a dangerous pastime, and not one I will permit during class hours," she said, collecting a stack of papers from her desk and walking down the rows to hand one to each student. "What you do on your own time, however, is your business."

"This is your syllabus. Be aware that it is subject to change at any time, unless a particular class is predestined to happen, in which case the syllabus is moot anyway, isn’t it?" The smile she flashed the students was decidedly impish.

"For now, I would like you to go around the room and introduce yourselves, and state for the record whether you believe in destiny, free will, or are currently undecided."

[OOC: ~~Please wait for the~~ OCD ~~to go~~ up! Have fun!]

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"I'm Eve Levine and I believe in free will," she said. "Because it's so easy for destiny to get twisted by other people's words. People have spent years telling my daughter that she's bad and evil and horrible and that she's going to end up just like me. But I'm none of those things and I hate when people tell her that I am, so she must be as well."

"I get both Levines again," Ghanima teased, smiling. "So many familiar faces today! I either did something right in my previous classes, or something very wrong, and you're all plotting revenge."

"You bring up a good point, Eve. Perception is a powerful tool. It's the 'Catch-22' of the prophetic arsenal, and can be wielded both ways with devastating results. Those whom claim you are 'bad and evil and horrible' and etcetera had best pray they turn out to be wrong. There is nothing more deadly than creating your own nemesis."

"I haven't always been the nicest of people and I haven't always done the nicest of things, but there's very little of it that I actually regret." Eve shrugged. "It was all to make sure my baby girl stayed safe. But in the end, it comes down to the fact that they were my choices to make. I mean, maybe destiny does factor in a little bit. I don't know. But the concept of destiny as a whole strikes me as a little too much like pawns on a chess board."

Destiny & Free Will, #1 [Period 1, Monday, July 7]

Re: Introductions & Discussion: Destiny, Free Will, or None of the Above?

Re: Introductions & Discussion: Destiny, Free Will, or None of the Above?

Re: Introductions & Discussion: Destiny, Free Will, or None of the Above?