Rage Against the Machine: Etc, Etc, Etc; Tuesday, Second Period [03/22].

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Alright, guys," Summer grinned faintly at the students as they gathered, this time, inside a sort of mess hall/rec room inside of a spaceship for the start of class that morning. "Even though at least Illyana was able to offer a little bit of a respite from the screaming sun last week, I'm sure my space mom and her crew showing up to whisk us away was a welcome rescue. I was thinking of turning this into a lesson about Trust and having them turn out to be Imerials in very clever disguises, but honestly? The much more valuable lesson here is that, sometimes, the line between life and death or at least a tortured existence stuck on a screaming sun planet....is about connections. Allies. Networking. Who you know can sometimes be as important as what you know...

"...especially when who you know can sometimes turn out to be Imperials in really clever disguises. Which is why, today, since we're, quote unquote 'in transit' right now anyway, is to get to know each other. And get to know your allies. Be social. Learn some quirky little detail that maybe the enemy might not know, so that, if you're suspecting something's up, you can test them and see if they're an impostor. Is it maybe a little paranoid to suspect that, during any given pick-up, your allies might actually be your enemies? Maybe. But sometimes, that paranoia can be what keeps you out of space jail...or worse."

And here she wasn't even going to go into what can happen when those enemies were brain slugs that gave you false memories to fuck with who you thought was real and who wasn't! That was more some next-level shit.

"So, off you go. Socialization class. Get to know your friends better than your enemies can know your friends, so that if they try to be your friends, you can call them out on their bullshit. Try to get at least one new detail about each of your classmates, and, if you're feeling bold, my fake space mom and her crew are up in the bridge if you want to try to get to know them a little better, too. They're definitely helping us out here, so who knows? That information might come in handy later."

Books vs Movies, Tuesday first period

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon was a bit (more than his usual) tired today, but put on a good face and did his best to smile at the students. "I hope you all enjoyed the book. If so, there are two more in the series. If not, well, you can put it down after today. Meanwhile, you get to learn a lot of apocryphal things about Oxford. Call it another universe." He thought for a moment. "Which is, I suppose, plausible, but it was fictionalized. Anyway, let's get started on the movie."

There was a newer one, apparently, that had gotten better reviews, but a series was a bit long for class, so they'd be watching the 2007 version.

And afterward, there would be the usual note about next week's text: The Bicentennial Man.

Mad Kings & Queens: Raving Royals and How To Survive Them (Tuesday, 4th Period)

[atreideslioness]

"Today we're working with someone many of you may be familiar with," Ghanima announced as the class assembled. "If, at any point, today's discussion becomes too much, please feel free to excuse yourselves."

( WARNING: Here there be Dracul. )

[OOC: NOTE: Today's class is behind the cut-tag for impalement, violence, and lots of people dying.]

Living with Trauma, Tuesday 3/22, 3rd Period

[stykera]

Once again the classroom was set up as a normal classroom and once again Stark was at the front of the room holding tightly to his cup of coffee. Like the clinic shift yesterday this was part of the new routine and if he didn't cling to that routine he was going to fall apart again. Or maybe he was still falling apart and he’d only slowed things down a little. It was hard to say.

“There are people,” he began, “who think grief can be divided into stages. Five, usually. It doesn’t really work like that. Not in my experience. There is no neat progression. It’s messy. Grief is messy. Pain is messy. Life is messy. Sometimes it isn’t progression at all. It’s everything, all at once. I…I can accept that something has happened and be angry at it and be hurt by it and want to change it and refuse to believe it all at once." He was well practiced at being sad and angry at the same time, and at wanting to change things but being unable to do so, for example. He would have bargained if he could. "Or sometimes not all at once but there is always overlap. It’s not linear. It’s not simple. Anyone who tells you it is is lying to you."

"But sometimes it can help, to try and think of things in pieces. Stages. Parts. To break things down into smaller things to help understand them. Or try to. Maybe just to understand that all of those things are a part of what you'll go through. Are going through. Have gone through. So we can talk about that, today. The 5 stages that may or may not be distinct at all. I don't think they are. But as a tool this could be useful for some. Maybe even for some of you."

"Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Those are the five. What do you all think?"