Defending Yourself Against Magic | Tuesday, 4th period

[nuclear_snide]

With a bit of help from Jono, Bob had managed to make good use of the Danger Shop, and had decided to hold class in there from now on. The facilities were useful, but even if he only used the empty room, any failsafes it had could only be a good thing.

"So." He faced the students seriously. "There are many different types of magic, and probably more in other worlds that I'm not aware of. It would be useless to attempt to cover them all. However, just about all of them do have a few things in common."( Read more... )

How to Develop a Personal Style [Tuesday]

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"Good morning!" Irene sang out, when students entered the Danger Shop this morning. They'd all been notified by an email the night before -- though, pragmatic Irene had also thought to stick a handwritten note to her usual classroom's door. "We won't always meet in here, but I thought it might be fun -- particularly since I've never gotten to play much in here."

Priorities.

The students would find themselves, in any case, in a very snowy landscape, with a warmly-lit building nearby. And, unless they were still wearing anything they might have put on to face the actual cold outdoors in the real world, they'd probably notice quite quickly that Irene had programmed the room to be just to the south of freezing. Didn't want that snow to melt, guys! Which was why Irene herself was decked out in a pair of black leggings, a warm wool deep green coat, a pair of over-the-knee boots, warm leather gloves and a pair of warm -- if vaguely silly -- earmuffs.

"Bonjour, and welcome to the Alps, mes amies," Irene said, spreading her hands wide. "I thought we might start with something fairly topical, this time of year -- and rather than drag you all outside with a rack of clothes, this seemed like a more fun option. Behind me, there, is a boutique. Inside you'll find a wide variety of coats, hats, gloves and scarves. I want you all to run in there -- feel free to take your time, there's a fire lit -- and find something that appeals to you. Then, come outside, and test it."

She crossed her arms, looking a little sheepish. "I am not always known for dressing the most practically," she admitted, "but it's definitely an incredibly important aspect of fashion. All the cashmere in the world isn't worth a damn thing if it doesn't actually serve half its purpose and keep you warm." She smiled, adding, "The other half is to look good, of course, but you need both. When you've settled on what you think works, feel free to come outside and play in the snow. See how things hold up. If they don't, that's fine, and you can maybe try again. If they do -- then awesome. You get to build a snowman or something."

(Sorry, Anna.)

Ethics, Tuesday, January 12, 2015

[sith_happened]

"Today we're going to start with one of the most common ethical dilemmas when you're not working alone," Anakin began, standing straight in front of the classroom with his cold fingers tucked up into his Jedi robes. (Winter was ridiculous. Being cold was ridiculous. Being married for years to a girl from Connecticut didn't make winter less pointless, in Anakin's opinion.) "Do you follow orders exactly or do you follow your gut when the situation changes?"

Obi-Wan might have made a joke about Anakin's sensitivity to the cold, but considering the circumstances, he batted the thought away. He was making no such displays with his own robes. "To be precise," he said, "when is it worth the risk to flee to another's defense despite being specifically told not to do so?"

No one would was actually innocent would look as innocent as Anakin did right then. "For those of you who are already acquainted with this island, it's not a surprise to you to learn that we have fairly regular invasions of...things."

"Things" was nice and non-specific. "And almost every time, the administration advises the students to stay safe and not get involved and we pretty much plan for you to ignore that order with impunity. Because it's human nature to defend those we care about, orders be damned."

Guess which side of the argument Anakin fell on, kids? Go on, guess.

"However, taking such actions can expose you to greater risks," Obi-Wan said mildly. Consider which end of the argument he fell on. These days. "Consider the scene: a friend has been sent on a mission to spy on a gathering of people who may be inclined to attack your home planet at a later date. In the process of spying, he is captured by enemy forces. The enemy intends to put him on trial. Now, they have not attacked yet, and sending in a force to reclaim the captured spy could easily escalate the conflict beyond ideas into reality."

"Or it could have led to them executing him and I wasn't the one who called in the Troopers," Anakin shot back, making a face. This had become a lot less hypothetical, suddenly. "I hadn't planned on getting caught."

He never did.

"You rarely do, but it was a risk inherent in disobeying the orders you were given," Obi-Wan said. "Now, you've made it clear to class what actually happened - but I wonder, what would they do in a situation such as this? If a friend was captured and at risk of execution, what would you do? Especially if someone told you that the risks of doing so extended far beyond yourself?"