Tao of a Silly Old Bear, Monday, Period Two

[uncertain_dume]

Once again, class was outside, in the park. Which apparently meant they were sitting amongst some ferns that were about the same size as Kanan today, while little leather-winged reptiles peered down at them from the treetops. Kanan didn't seem terribly concerned about the pterodactyls, nah. They were more reminiscent of animals from his neck of reality than most creatures he was used to on the island.

"So, we live in a jungle now, I guess," Kanan said, like it wasn't really a big deal. Given he didn't have any particularly terrible feelings about this, it probably wasn't. And the novelty of waking up to a tiny rainbow-spotted deinonychus hopping around on his legs demanding walkies mostly just made him go, 'sure, Fandom.' "Which isn't going to stop us from talking Tao, no. This week, we'll be discussing P'u, or the Uncarved Block."

It was about that moment that the tiny rainbow-spotted deinonychus trotted over to Kanan from where he'd been digging around in some ferns, made a sound that attempted to be reminiscent of a bark, waggled his butt around a little, and then took a seat on one of Kanan's feet. Kanan shrugged, crouched down, and gave him a scratch under the chin while he continued speaking.

"The principle of the Uncarved Block is described, in the book," that book about that bear, "as, 'things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.' It applies to things and people both. One of the examples the book cites is that the bear and the little pig were considering going around to visit their friends. The little pig kept growing more distressed, because he couldn't come up with a good enough reason to visit each and every one of them. The bear decided that all the reason they needed was to wish them all a happy Thursday, and that was good enough."

He stood again, and Stance looked around at the students, tongue lolling out of the side of his big dumb rainbow-spotted lizard face, and then decided to give a trot around to say hello, just for the sake of saying hello. Yes, he was absolutely still trying to wag his tail.

"Basically," Kanan continued, "the lesson of the Uncarved Block is that when you discard arrogance and complexity, life gets a little bit more enjoyable. It's not quite the same as 'ignorance is bliss,' it's more that there's a sort of beauty in the quiet, the natural, and the plain. I don't think I'd personally advocate for never thinking, but it can't hurt to keep in mind that sometimes, there really isn't any harm in acting spontaneously, just because. So that's what we're going to do today. Enjoy the park, throw a stick for the dog - trust me, he's a dog, he actually looks more like the dogs back home this way than he usually does - watch birds for a bit. Play hide-and-seek, sit and chat, go introduce yourselves to the lizards that replaced the playground equipment overnight, do whatever spontaneous thing comes to mind. The park is safe, just a little weird today. I don't think the island is exactly embracing the concept of P'u at the moment, but we can work with this."

Because it's Monday.

Philosophy of Food | Monday, 4th period

[sharp_man]

The Danger Shop this week had been programmed in two halves - on one side, there was a formal dining room with fine china and silver. On the other, a neat blanket was spread out over grass, with a well-crafted wicker basket in the middle. The dishes there were sturdier and the silverware plainer.

Hannibal stood at a table between the two halves in his best...lizard-skin suit. He was still a bit disgruntled about it, yes. It looked fine, he supposed, but leather did not drape the way cloth did.

He straightened up and nodded at the students. "This week, we're not talking about food; we're talking about how other things relate to food." He waved between the two halves of the classroom. "What sorts of food does each of these settings demand? What sorts of conversation and manners? What culture do you expect of each?"

He gestured at the table behind him, which held all the food. "Take some food, and sit where you like to eat it; move between the two, if you like. But think about this - when you choose your food and seat, is it only because of taste? Or is there a reason you prefer one over the other? What behavior do you feel is warranted in each place? What is most appropriate and most comfortable? Let us discuss it."

Cutthroat Games- Monday- 1st period

[can_be_more]

Today the class was meeting at the Danger Shop, which was set up just like Anakin and Aeryn's favorite paintball place... that they had been kicked out of for taking it way too seriously. And maybe some things had been damaged. Not the point!

"This is paintball," Aeryn said, passing out red helmets to the students she'd just now decided would be the red team. "The concept is simple: you will put on all the necessary safety gear, and then you will get guns filled with balls of paint. You will shoot at the members of the opposite team."

"And if they cry or whine about it, you can shoot them again," Anakin said.

And now you know why they had to create their own site!

He handed out blue helmet to the other half of the room, then put one on his own head even though it would mess up his amazing hair. The sacrifices he made!

"And since we have an uneven number, red team, you have him to face off against," Aeryn said. "All you have to do is be the last one standing. If you get hit, you're out. Good luck with this one."

Seriously. Good luck, red team.

...And, really, good luck to the blue team, too.

Working Together: How Not to be an A-Hole - Monday - Third Period

[biotic_psychotic]

Class is in the Danger Shop again. Once again, the confidence course is down the center. Tires, hoops, walls, ropes, mud pit, etc.

One whole wall has been set up as a display. Multiple console controllers are in front of it, scattered among beanbags. There's sodas and snacks available over there, also.

At the top of the display, a whole host of pixellated Reapers marched through Dark Space.

At the bottom were a whole host of pixellated warships. One color per controller.

"So last week," Jack began as the students filed in, "Lana volunteered to be team captain and you avoided the confidence course altogether at Norman's suggestion. That was clever and it was some good thinking outside the box. This week, Lana's off the table for captain because she's had a turn, and 'go around it' is also off the table for a solution. Someone else will take a turn being in charge and getting the group through it. If you get the impression that I don't care how you do it, that'd be the correct impression to have: I do not care how you do it, just that you figure it out and do it as a group."

"You'll notice the game set up." Jack gestured toward it. She turned it on for the demo and the Reapers began spawning and marching toward the bottom very quickly. The spaceships took flight and began working together to blast them out of the sky. No one ship was strong enough to take on one Reaper. The demo was rigged so the Reapers won by getting all the way to the bottom, destroying all the ships along the way.

"Today, you run the confidence course and then you get to work the game. Object's simple: Don't let the Reapers land. Problem is, you don't get to start playing until every member of your team has completed the confidence course. The game starts when you start. They'll move slower than they did in the demo but they'll still be moving. If you take too long to do the course, you'll be at a serious disadvantage - if not outright lose - the game," she commented.

Hauling one of the beanbags over to the side, she plopped down and raised a stopwatch. Clicking the clicky thing, she said, "And.. go."

[OCD is UP! Class is OPEN!
Credit to SteelJoe at DA for the pixel Reaper.]

Library, Monday

[intotheout]

There were books on dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts running around the stacks, stalking each other and occasionally roaring. Bill was having a marvelous time playing tag with an enormous dragonfly who'd managed to swoop in after Tip when she came in from class. Tip was doing her best to put her hair up in twists against the ridiculously high humidity that seemed to have shown up along with the land before time.

So. Just another day in Fandom's library, then.

[open!]