fandomhigh | The Art of War, Week #11 [Period 3, Monday]

As the students entered this week, they would see a passage on the board:

Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit:
(1) Accessible ground
(2) entangling ground
(3) temporizing ground
(4) narrow passes
(5) precipitous heights
(6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.

"Terrain. Which I am sure you are all dreadfully sick of hearing me talk about," Ghanima announced as soon as the last student was seated. "However, if you do not know where or how you stand, in any battle, you will lose. I cannot stress this enough. It doesn't matter if you're facing a troop of Sardaukar on Salusa Secundus, or trying to make dinner plans with a cranky significant other. If you cannot understand the terrain under your feet, you will find yourself on the wrong end of a metaphorical or physical blade."

"This all goes back to what we discussed that first week of class, "'Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.' To know your soldiers, you must know yourself. You must be able to assess both the capabilities of your fighting force, and your own ability to command them in terrain before you. If you cannot give the soldiers what they need, even the most elite squad in the Empire can fall against a small handful of women and children." Not that Ghanima would know. At all.

"First, however, I want to hear how you did over the last week."

[OOC: Ya'll know the drill - the OCD is up, so go play!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tell us how your assignment went! ~~Handwavey is fine~~

"Uh, I wasn't here for part of the week, but I continued the assignment at home and it went really well," Jaina said, not exactly shy, but clearly trying not to sound like she was bragging. "I brought proof." Which was the slightly battered folded piece of paper in front of her with quite a few different signatures on it, a few people having signed their name multiple times throughout.

Ghanima glanced at Jaina's paper, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Most impressive, Miss Solo. It looks like you were quite busy."

"After a while it started to be fun, figuring out different ways to get things. So I just kept trying to change it up," she shrugged.

Re: Report!

atreideslioness - 2008-11-17 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

solo_sword - 2008-11-17 22:08 (UTC) - Expand

Savannah looked disappointed. "I was sick for most of the week and didn't end up doing much of anything outside of classes and work but rest in my room."

She had been looking forward to trying the assignment, too.

"You health does come before the assignment," Ghanima replied. "Knowing when to make decisions like that is just as important a tactical maneuver as completing the homework."

"I...failed the assignment," Lee said, "but, in my defense, I've been taking care of a baby Ewok for half the week and the other half, I've been sleeping. Other reasons too but those were the two big ones."

Ghanima looked intrigued. "What, pray tell, is an Ewok?"

"It's kind of like a teddy bear that's alive," Lee said. "So, it cries and whines and wants food and to play and it's chewed holes through a few of my shirts."

atreideslioness - 2008-11-17 20:59 (UTC) - Expand

"I got someone to cook me dinner," Ella said, with a shy smile to Ronan ~~if he was there~~. "It was a delightful meal, and he was a perfect gentleman."

"Congratulations, Ella," Ghanima answered. "It sounds like you enjoyed the assignment."

"I got Ichigo to buy me dinner," Ino volunteered. "And he brought me pastry the next day."

"Double-credit, then," Ghanima said, making a note. "Did you tell him about the assignment at all?"

Ino shook her head. "Didn't breathe a word of it."

atreideslioness - 2008-11-17 22:22 (UTC) - Expand

intraspective - 2008-11-17 23:09 (UTC) - Expand

"Jaina bought me ice cream," Ben said, "but it was mostly as part of a fact finding mission."

"Using her mission to gain ice cream is a perfectly valid use of the assignment," Ghanima pointed out. "Bonus points if you got her to pay for a double-scoop or chocolate toppings."

Some things were worth extra points.

momslilassassin - 2008-11-17 20:25 (UTC) - Expand

"I was unable to get anyone to make or purchase food for me," Teyla admitted. "I could not get past my guilt at having anyone do such a thing."

"Why did you feel guilty about it?" Ghanima asked curiously.

athosborn.livejournal.com - 2008-11-17 23:53 (UTC) - Expand

atreideslioness - 2008-11-18 15:51 (UTC) - Expand

Agnes frowned, and held her chin up high. "I decided not to do the assignment," she announced.

Because no one would ever want to buy ME dinner.

Ghanima regarded Agnes curiously. "Really? Why?"

finding-x-dream.livejournal.com - 2008-11-18 02:52 (UTC) - Expand

atreideslioness - 2008-11-18 15:54 (UTC) - Expand

Reno cleared his throat and frowned a little.

"She agreed to take me for dinner," he reported. And then frowned a little more. "And then I stole the bill from under her nose and paid for it anyhow."

...

Pride, dammit.

Ghanima raised an eyebrow at Reno, but nodded. "You completed the spirit of the assignment," she said. "Since someone else intended to feed you, you clearly managed to convince them, even if you did not allow it to come to the natural conclusion."

Tahiri looked somewhat stricken. "I . . . was a little busy with a baby Ewok," she admitted. As far as excuses for not doing her classwork went, it was kind of tame next to "I was exploring an ancient temple and found the souls of trapped children from thousands of years ago," but she couldn't exactly lie, could she?

"Another student abducted by an Ewok," Ghanima sighed. "Did you convince anyone to take it off your hands at all this week? That could certainly count as persuading someone to do something that they normally wouldn't."

weetuskenraider - 2008-11-19 01:13 (UTC) - Expand

"A friend made me dinner." Tony grinned at the memory.