Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain and You, Week I [Monday, Period 4]

[weetuskenraider]

Ghanima was sitting on her desk, absently eating lemon drops as she watched the students wander into the room. Once the last of them had arrived, her face lit up with a smile.

"Well now," she said, her voice carrying effortlessly. "Most of you look rather familiar!"

Ghanima was not sure if it was a mark of approval in her choice in subject matter, or if her students were simply masochists.

She was not ruling out either option.

"For those of you that are new, I am Lady Ghanima Atreides, and this is Terrain and You. If you have not had one of my classes before, you may call me Lady Ghanima, Miss Ghanima, or Miss Atreides, whichever you are more comfortable with. The first person to call me Lady Atreides gets detention," Ghanima announced, smiling. "Lady Atreides is my grandmother, and I will not answer to it."

"This is a class intended to give you a basic grounding in the varying types of terrain you may encounter." Ghanima hopped off her desk to wander along the rows of desks. "The simple fact that you are at this school is testimony to the fact that you never know where you may find yourself."

"From cityscapes to icebergs, each week we will look at a different type of terrain, and one thing you can do to make your life easier. Please be aware that there is no syllabus to this class, because I don't want you to have time to prepare for each scenario. Many times you will have to work with only the things you have on you during an emergency, and learning to keep your wits about you is important."

"First, however, I'd like you all to introduce yourselves. Name, rank, how long you've been at Fandom, and type of terrain you are most familiar with. If anyone is interested in a TA position, see me after class."

"You. Start."

[Respect your TAs, and wait for the OCD is up! atreideslioness will be around to take pings later in the day.]

Comments

Class Activity: Introductions

[weetuskenraider]

Ya'll know the drill!

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Am Lady Blysse Norwood, of Kestrel House," Firekeeper said. Normally she would've left that bit off, but the teacher had requested rank. "He," she nodded to the large blue-eyed wolf by her side, "is Blind Seer. We have beened here eight moonspans now, and are most familiar with mountain forests. These is our birth-pack's lands."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Hello, Blysse," Ghanima replied, not even blinking at the wolf since she was used to seeing them at the Fight Club. "And Blind Seer, too. I'm glad to have both of you here."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[endsthegame]

"I'm Andrew Wiggin," he introduced, "I've been here for almost a year. As for rank, while I'm at school, I answer to Ender." The fact that he was an Admiral somewhere - a purely symbolic position - meant very little in the context, and Ender wasn't really interested in expanding on it. "The terrain I'm most used to is a lack of it. Zero gravity environments, and the inside of an asteroid."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Zero-gravity? Fascinating. Is that the preferred method of space travel where you are from?" Ghanima asked curiously. "Our highliners typically have artificial gravity, but I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Dinah Lance, no particular rank, I've been in Fandom four months now, and I'm most familiar with city environments. Small towns like this one, and big urban cities; good parts and the parts no one wants to go into. With some prairie outdoors stuff thrown in," Dinah said, thinking of the long expanses outside of Opal.

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Miss Lance," Ghanima said warmly. "Welcome to class. Out of all the cities you've been to, what's your favorite part?"

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[weetuskenraider]

"Tahiri Veila, Jedi apprentice." She was a little self-conscious of the fact that she was the only one in the room who wasn't a full Knight. "I've been here since the start of last fall term, so about nine months now?"

She sighed very slightly, self-conscious for a completely different reason as she added, "I grew up in the desert, so that's what I'm most familiar with . . . and then jungle."

And the inside of a worldship, but Riina didn't get to answer this question.

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Miss Veila," Ghanima said cheerily. "Terrain after my own heart."

"Desert, that is, not jungle. I will never get used to so many trees."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[wannabehunter]

"I'm Jo Harvelle, and as far as rank goes, I'm going to be a senior come fall," Jo said. "I've been here nearly two and a half years, and the type of terrain I'm most familiar with is mostly flat plains, some rolling hills thrown in for good measure."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Miss Harvelle, welcome back," Ghanima said. "What is your favorite part of your home turf?"

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"I am Lady Elspeth, Heir of Valdemar and Herald-trainee," Elspeth said. "I have spent most of my time in the city, but I have spent some time hunting in the pastures and woodlands nearby."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"A new name and a new face on our shores. Welcome to Fandom, Lady Elspeth," Ghanima responded. "Do you have a preference for the city or the woods?"

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[future_sandworm]

"I am Leto Atreides II," he said. "And I am a junior student here." If Ghanima wanted all the ranks and titles, she would have to ask. "And the environment I'm most familiar with is the desert."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima was not going to ask; she knew better. She was going to smile angelically and be a perfect teacher.

"Welcome to my class then, Leto," she replied. "If you weren't familiar with the desert, I might have to be worried what you've been up to without the guiding presence of your sister."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Fiona Post," she said, wracking her brain for what might be considered rank before adding, "junior inductee to the Order of the Celestial Rose. And I suppose I am most used to an urban environment."

She let that float in the air for a moment before continuing.

"And I've just arrived."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

Welcome to our island, Miss Post," Ghanima answered. "What do you enjoy most about an urban atmosphere?"

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[heartflames.livejournal.com]

"Eleanor Robinson, apprentice Fire Mage." Everyone else seemed to be giving their ranking and with some of them, well, stating she was a mage didn't seem like much in comparison.

"I'm most used to ..." how to say England? "Village settings, I suppose. Sloping hills and some woods nearby. And I've been at Fandom now for two days."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[atreideslioness]

"Miss Robinson," Ghanima replied. "Welcome to Fandom Island. Our town is not exactly a village, but you may find that there are some similarities."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[likethestore.livejournal.com]

"I'm K-Mart, I'm a sophomore -- " It was the closest she had to a rank. " -- and I've been at Fandom for a semester. Oh! And I'm most familiar with deserts."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I'm Triela. I am approaching my tenth continuous month, and my fifteenth aggregate month in Fandom." The Agency didn't really do ranks, so she didn't feel the need to make one up.

"I specialize in urban environments."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "I'm Ben Skywalker and I'm a Jedi Knight," he said. "I've been in Fandom since the fall, and grew up kind of all over, but I'm most familiar with extremely large cities and jungles. Oh, and hiding inside spaceships."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[solo_sword]

"Jaina Solo, lieutenant commander and Jedi Knight," she said, thinking this would at least explain to some people here why she was the way she was. "I've been here two ears, and while most of my battles take place in space, lately I've been dealing with any and every terrain that will make things more difficult."

The cabins had already maybe put her in a mood.

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Himura Kenshin," he started, and then hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Choshuu Ishin-shishi." It wasn't like that information mattered here. "I arrived two days ago. I'm most familiar with cities, mountains, and forests."

Re: Class Activity: Introductions

[puppy_fair]

Zack wasn't wiggling. He wasn't. Really. Much.

He'd been worried about getting rusty or something while at this school. It didn't look like he was going to get the opportunity, in a class like this one.

"I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class," he said, grinning. "I got here on Saturday, and I'm from a small town, so I guess I'm most familiar with the hills and waterfalls and countryside there, but I've been working out of the biggest city on my world for a couple of years now, so I'm pretty sure I know how to handle that, too."