The Art of War, Week #4 [Period 3, Monday]

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima was sitting on her desk as the students arrived, her text placed neatly in her lap.  Exactly like any other day of class. 

The moment the last student was seated, she flipped her book open.  "Good morning, class, and welcome.  Those of you who are still injured, please return to the clinic.  Bleeding during class is considered tacky, and I am your teacher, not a tyrant.  It is an excused absence, and you can get the notes from a classmate later." 

"For those of you staying, we begin today with chapter three," she said, holding up the book.  "'Attack by Stratagem.'  Considering the events of this past weekend, I find it highly appropriate."

"'Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans;'" Ghanima recited, watching all of them carefully.  "'The next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.'  So speaks Tzu.  I'm curious as to how you feel this reflects the events of this weekend." 

"Today, we will be having a class discussion."  Ghanima snapped the book shut and dropped it beside her on the desk.  "Mayor Summers acted as our general, and made a choice for the 'army' that some people may disagree with.  I'd like you to look at the third P'ien and tell me what, if anything, you would have done differently." 

[OOC:  Please wait for the OCD is up, go have fun!  The text for this week's lesson can be found here.]

Comments

Sign-In #4

[atreideslioness]

Victoriously!

Re: Sign-In #4

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

Eve Levine

Re: Sign-In #4

[raspberryturk]

Reno

During the Lecture

[atreideslioness]

Take notes, pass notes, chatter. If you're bleeding all over her classroom, now would be a good time to leave. Before she removes you herself, AND assigns you detention for being a moron.

Re: During the Lecture

[momslilassassin]

Ben looked very, very confused. He raised his hand. "I was gone this weekend and missed getting to join an army?"

Re: During the Lecture

[solo_sword]

Jaina was looking maybe a little banged up and not moving much, but as she wasn't bleeding she was staying put and paying attention.

Re: During the Lecture

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri still looked a little unnerved by the weekend's events, and kept mostly silent, glancing around at her classmates. Ostensibly, to see if anyone really was bleeding.

Re: During the Lecture

[wantstodirect]

Tony took careful notes. Ignore the doodling.

Re: During the Lecture

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

Lee was limping a tad but he wasn't going to spend time in the clinic. His favorite clinic person wasn't there anymore anyway.

Still, he was paying more attention than he had been last week.

Re: During the Lecture

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

Agnes took detailed notes, and was just glad she hadn't been called on to join the army. One encounter with her alternate self was more than enough.

Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[atreideslioness]

So. The BRAND NEW MAYOR signed everyone up for pain and mental torment without their consent. An allegory could be made comparing this to drafting a populace that does not know it's at war. Was this a good strategy? Discuss!

[OOC: Ping to anyone anywhere, and let chaos reign!]

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"I know you do what you gotta do, but why were only certain people chosen for the fighting? Was that a Nemesis decision or the mayor's decision?" Not quite the subject at hand, but related. And hey, if she was going to get an answer anywhere, it'd probably be here.

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[intraspective]

"We don't know the situation exactly, do we?" Ino asked, frowning thoughtfully. "I mean, really, even with being drafted we had other people coming into the clinic hurt who hadn't been in the tournament--perhaps by drafting people it cut down on the number of those that got hurt."

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[solo_sword]

"It's basic conscription," Jaina said. "I think the setting itself has to be given a little leeway that if he'd asked for volunteers, half of Fandom probably would have been involved. I don't know the whole situation, but that's what comes to mind."

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[weetuskenraider]

"If it was any other populace . . ." Tahiri frowned. "But it's Fandom. And maybe this applies to Nemesis too. Asking for people to sign up would have ended up more like a free-for-all, and I don't think Sun Tzu --" a slight, fleeting frown at the name again -- "would've thought chaos was a good strategy."

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[wantstodirect]

"What was the alternative?" Tony asked. "He couldn't just let them take over."

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[wannabehunter]

"I don't think I like it," Jo said eventually. "Just because it might be necessary to force people to fight something they don't fully understand doesn't mean that it's a good idea, or that it won't get them killed."

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"Maybe he thought he had the backing of everyone and assumed it'd be okay?" Lee guessed. "I mean, past situations, it's gone down with almost everyone fighting. Why couldn't he assume the same here?"

Re: Class Discussion: Dissect Mayor Summer's choices!

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

Agnes didn't have a radio, yet. "Does anyone know who exactly was chosen, and why? And what they were fighting? I'm sure Mr. Summers wouldn't just pick them randomly."

Talk to the TA

[atreideslioness]

When he pings in.

Re: Talk to the TA

[raspberryturk]

Reno was there, still silently contemplating homicide. The freaks from Nemesis might have been sent off, but that didn't mean he was any less cranky about what a few of them had done while they were there.

Laughing spell. Puh.

Talk to Ghanima

[atreideslioness]

She's around, both before and after class.

Re: Talk to Ghanima

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

Still looking tired -- a step up from the previous day's exhaustion -- and holding a cup of coffee, Eve made her way over to Ghanima before class. "Do you have a moment?"

Silly, considering that Ghanima was around for them to talk to her, but there were social niceties, by God.

OOC

[atreideslioness]

Your syllabus has been updated with Ghani's guidelines for getting detention. I actually did it a few weeks ago, but, well, forgot to say something. Enjoy!

Re: OOC

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

Every time I see you play Ghanima in a scene, it makes me want to swipe my grandfather's copy of the Children of Dune miniseries and watch it.