Ghanima Atreides (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
atreideslioness) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2010-03-01 08:42 am
atreideslioness) wrote in fandomhigh2010-03-01 08:42 am
Entry tags:
World Mythology -- Third Period -- Monday
Ghanima was not wearing her normal formal Imperial clothing today. Instead of her usual elaborate gown and hat, she was dressed in her Fremen robes, hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. The classroom was also transformed, with large pillows taking the place of desks and chairs, and there was another woman seated beside her.
"Today, we're going to discuss what happens when myth becomes reality," she said, gesturing for the students to take seats on the pillows heaped around the room. "As some of you may know, myth does not always stay detached from our day-to-day lives. On occasion, myth becomes fact, fiction turns reality, and we are left with the aftermath of our gods and heroes."
"This is not as theoretical as you think. In Fandom alone, anything is possible, and many of us are from worlds where that it has already happened at least once," Ghanima said. "So, what do we do when faced with such an event? How do we reconcile the merge of two previously incompatible worlds?"
"My mother's people saw our greatest myth become flesh, the Lisan al-Gaib, the Mahdi, 'The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise.' Aly has met various gods, goddesses, and seen great prophecy become truth. Today, she'll be your guest speaker, and then you can ask questions or talk about myths that you've seen come to life."
Aly lounged easily against one of the pillows. She also was dressed differently - a sarong and cropped jacket of bright coloured cottons and more necklaces than the the normal black beads. "To be frank," she said easily. "I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't made a bet with a god. Trickster god though so I'm pretty sure some of you can guess how that worked out. If I haven't met you before - which is most of you, my name's Alianne. Feel free to call me Aly certainly. The country I grew up in, Tortall, has a bit of a history of the gods poking their noses in here and there. Gods can't always influence everything, and they rely on their Chosen Ones to help nudge or bludgeon events the way they want."
"So when you're dealing with Gods, you have two choices. One? Stay far, far away and definitely don't catch their interest. When you do catch their interest, don't engage, don't get caught up in their games. Even more so don't get caught up in their infighting. The other option? Ignore all the rules cause you can be damn sure a God will break any rule he wants and play and win."
"This isn't a game you can play to a stalemate," Ghanima agreed. "If you're walking with gods and demons, you can either not play at all, or play to win. There are no other choices available."
"You can, however, use their own archetypes against them. A trickster is always a trickster, and the mother goddess always a woman. They are what they are, and they cannot act against their natures," she continued. "And the greatest heroes of all the stories are either humans or demigods. We have a flexibility, a power, that they don't. We can change and grow with a situation, but a god is eternal, and they can be slow to react."
She tilted an amused eyebrow at Ghani. "Just don't let them know you're doing it. When they're not slow to react, they're really, really fast. And it's very rare that a God can't overwhelm a human mind if they turn their mind to it." Her attention was back on the class. "So don't let a God turn his mind to it. Outwit them, outplay them, outrun them, out think them, even a trickster can be tricked, and even the Black God has a weakness." She tilted her head. "What is it? I dunno. Depends on who your gods are. But if you know the stories of your people, the myths of your gods, you'll find your own way to play through to the end."
Ghani nodded at Aly. "Now we'll go for the questions, I think," she said, looking at the students. "You can ask the Cunning One, Chosen of the Trickster, how she's dealt with the gods she's met, and then we'll talk about your experiences with myths made real."
[Wait for the Divine OCD to strike! The OCD has arrived!]
"Today, we're going to discuss what happens when myth becomes reality," she said, gesturing for the students to take seats on the pillows heaped around the room. "As some of you may know, myth does not always stay detached from our day-to-day lives. On occasion, myth becomes fact, fiction turns reality, and we are left with the aftermath of our gods and heroes."
"This is not as theoretical as you think. In Fandom alone, anything is possible, and many of us are from worlds where that it has already happened at least once," Ghanima said. "So, what do we do when faced with such an event? How do we reconcile the merge of two previously incompatible worlds?"
"My mother's people saw our greatest myth become flesh, the Lisan al-Gaib, the Mahdi, 'The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise.' Aly has met various gods, goddesses, and seen great prophecy become truth. Today, she'll be your guest speaker, and then you can ask questions or talk about myths that you've seen come to life."
Aly lounged easily against one of the pillows. She also was dressed differently - a sarong and cropped jacket of bright coloured cottons and more necklaces than the the normal black beads. "To be frank," she said easily. "I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't made a bet with a god. Trickster god though so I'm pretty sure some of you can guess how that worked out. If I haven't met you before - which is most of you, my name's Alianne. Feel free to call me Aly certainly. The country I grew up in, Tortall, has a bit of a history of the gods poking their noses in here and there. Gods can't always influence everything, and they rely on their Chosen Ones to help nudge or bludgeon events the way they want."
"So when you're dealing with Gods, you have two choices. One? Stay far, far away and definitely don't catch their interest. When you do catch their interest, don't engage, don't get caught up in their games. Even more so don't get caught up in their infighting. The other option? Ignore all the rules cause you can be damn sure a God will break any rule he wants and play and win."
"This isn't a game you can play to a stalemate," Ghanima agreed. "If you're walking with gods and demons, you can either not play at all, or play to win. There are no other choices available."
"You can, however, use their own archetypes against them. A trickster is always a trickster, and the mother goddess always a woman. They are what they are, and they cannot act against their natures," she continued. "And the greatest heroes of all the stories are either humans or demigods. We have a flexibility, a power, that they don't. We can change and grow with a situation, but a god is eternal, and they can be slow to react."
She tilted an amused eyebrow at Ghani. "Just don't let them know you're doing it. When they're not slow to react, they're really, really fast. And it's very rare that a God can't overwhelm a human mind if they turn their mind to it." Her attention was back on the class. "So don't let a God turn his mind to it. Outwit them, outplay them, outrun them, out think them, even a trickster can be tricked, and even the Black God has a weakness." She tilted her head. "What is it? I dunno. Depends on who your gods are. But if you know the stories of your people, the myths of your gods, you'll find your own way to play through to the end."
Ghani nodded at Aly. "Now we'll go for the questions, I think," she said, looking at the students. "You can ask the Cunning One, Chosen of the Trickster, how she's dealt with the gods she's met, and then we'll talk about your experiences with myths made real."
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