The Art(s) of War and Peace; Wednesday, Second Period [ 10/19 ].

[sake-shinigami.livejournal.com]

As the students entered today, they would see the following text scrawled on the chalkboard in neat handwriting. There were no hearts or excessive swirls, so it should be pretty easy for them to guess which of the teachers had written it.

In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them; conceal your dispositions, and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains. How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend.

All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

(  O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands. )

"So, what ways can you think of to conceal you motives? When is it to your advantage to do so, and when is it a disadvantage?" Ghanima grinned and gestured to the boxes set on tables around the room. "I want to see how well you've been paying attention."

"Although, really," said Shunsui with a smile, "I know I'm not the only one who sees the irony in asking you to reveal your thoughts on concealing your motives ♥."

[[ please wait for the OCD has advanced its armies into your territory! ]]

Library, Wednesday [10/19]

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

There was nothing quite like the lingering warm fuzzies that came (and, with her, lasted and lasted and lasted until some inevitable horrible situation came up to distract her from it) from a week spent helping people out and doing good work; that had Gabrielle in quite the good mood today as she wandered around reshelving and tidying up (and occasionally stopping to side-eye the periodicals rack, since she was half convinced the magazines were whispering about her -- someone had issues).

In fact, whenever she had a few minutes to sit down at the desk, she'd be scribbling away at a letter home; she was completely sure she could talk Ephiny and the Amazons into putting together some kind of Habitat program back home. It would be a fantastic idea -- all those villages that got laid waste every time a rampaging warlord or megalomaniacal would-be god or clumsy Cyclops wandered through, after all.

Maybe she could get Salmoneus to help sponsor the project . . . or maybe not. Hmm . . .

Tricks, Cons and Bamboozles | Wednesday | Period 1

[charming_thief]

Neal had only gotten back to Fandom half an hour before class today was supposed to start. Which meant he hadn't yet seen his office, so he was still in a reasonably good mood. Lucky students.

Becase he had spent a grand total of no time planning today's lesson, and because Peter Burke had a habit of making sarcastic suggestions that actually sounded like really good ideas, class met in the Danger Shop. Where students would find a dark room without any furniture, but with two red buttons on opposite walls.

"So part of pulling off a good con is stealth," Neal said, which would've sounded much cooler except that he was kind of exhausted and had to yawn on that last part. Oops. "You have to be fast and move very carefully to avoid being seen or caught. So we're going to work on that today."

He hit a switch, and suddenly the room was filled with bright green laser beams, starting just feet away from where the students were standing. "The object is to get all the way from here to the other side, and hit that button there, without touching any of the lasers," he explained. "Meanwhile, for every twenty seconds you spend past a certain time, five more lasers will go up near the back wall. So you want to be fast, you want to be precise, and... you probably want to take off any jackets or loose jewelry you have."

If asked, he would run through the maze wearing the fedora and still not touch a single laser. But that was just bragging.

"The board up there will keep track of high scores," he added. "You can run through as many times as you want to to beat your time. Oh, and guys? Don't zap the lasers for your classmates while they're going through. That's just obnoxious."

Strange Creatures of the Deep, Wednesday, Period 3

[takesaftermom.livejournal.com]

Summer had sent out an e-mail the day before, letting her students know they'd be meeting in the Danger Shop today.

The room was set up like the undersea lab again, only this time most of the room was taken up by a moon pool and a large submersible.

"Welcome back, I hope you all enjoyed your break," Summer began, once her students had settled in. "Today, I thought we could study one of the many odd creatures of the ocean up close," she added, gesturing to the moon pool. "The angler fish lives is open water and also dwells at the bottom of the ocean. They can be found worldwide and have large, upward pointing mouths. The reason they are known as angler fish is because the fleshy growth found on their heads acts as a lure and draws their prey towards them, in the dark water."

Summer walked to the moon pool and opened the door to the submersible. "Let's go study some angler fish up close," she grinned, waiting for her students to get situated inside.

[Wait for the OCD up!]

The Elements of Friendship, Thursday, Period 1

[locointhecoco]

The students had all received totally handwavey instructions to come to class this morning in their pajamas -- Pinkie might not wear them herself, but she at least knew what they were -- and be prepared "for tons of fun!"

This was hopefully a sign that they wouldn't be thrown down any cliffs, but with Pinkie, it was sometimes hard to tell.

Upon entering, they'd find the Danger Shop had been configured into a cozy tree house library, with a fire place on one end of the room and a lofted sleeping area under a large circular window lining the other. Outside the window, a storm was raging.

It was a dark and stormy first period class, but at least there was hot cocoa and s'mores set up near the fire.

Pinkie came in from a side entrance when it seemed like everyone had gathered. She wore a yellow rain slicker and her umbrella hat, and shook Danger Shop rain water from her like a wet dog once she was through the door.

"Welcome back, everypony!" she said. "I hope you all had a super fantastic amazing fall break! I know I did! Wasn't the food amazing?" Pinkie had not gone on the school sponsored trip. She'd spent the entire week in town feasting on muffins. "Now that you're back, I thought this would be the perfect time to enjoy one of the great hallmarks of any friendship: the SLUMBER PARTY!" She threw her front hooves into the air, somehow setting off a rain of confetti. "Dark and gloomy times can be the best for cozying up with your favorite friends and some good party games. My friend Twilight Sparkle even loaned me one of her very favorite books to help get the class organized: Slumber Parties 101! So let's get to it!"

[ooc: Lotsa OCD coming right up! Ready, set, SLEEPOVER!]