fandomhigh | So You Say You Want a Revolution: Week 6, Period 3

"Good to see you all survived the weekend and the, ah, parental invasion," Aly said with a bit of a grin as she surveyed the class. "I enjoyed speaking with your visitors and can promise I didn't give away too many of the school's secrets." She rolled her eyes a little at the idea of accidentally giving any secrets away at all.

"First up, let's have a chat about last week's topic - flirting and making friends. I asked you to try to use some of the techniques over the weekend as you met your friends' family and friends. If you did and you found them helpful, horrifically not, or something in the middle, let's hear how it worked out."

When everyone was done talking, Aly pulled everyone's attention back to her. "Now we're moving on to talk about another side of that same coin - mass communication. When you're starting a revolution - or any movement - you're going to have to distill your message to something people can understand without thinking about it too much. Long heartfelt debates are good for some things, but most people don't have the patience or brainpower to actually sit there and consider every aspect of the situation."

"So you need to get a message out - something short and to the point. But that's not necessarily the difficult part. The difficult part is getting everyone in your group to agree on what that message should be - and what it means." She took a moment to observe the class and make sure everyone was following. "Today, I want you to divide up into your groups. Each group has been assigned a quote from a writer or revolutionary that I want you to decide - as a group - what it means and then restate it into a message that could be used for the people."

Nico's Group
"In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end."
~Alexis de Tocqueville

Rinoa's Group
"You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves."
~Joseph Stalin

Percy's Group
“Every revolution was first a thought in one man's mind”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ino's Group
“When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.”
~Oscar Wilde

Aly read each of the quotes on the whiteboard out loud for the class, assigning them to their groups. "Everyone have a handle on what you need? Questions? Then go to, I'll be wandering around if any questions come up."

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"I asked you to try to use some of the techniques over the weekend as you met your friends' family and friends. If you did and you found them helpful, horrifically not, or something in the middle, let's hear how it worked out."

Feel free to comment on each other's reports and discuss what worked and what didn't!

Ino looked a bit sheepish as she toyed with her hair.

"I didn't have to avoid any family," she said slowly. "And I wouldn't much say I used makin' friends to get out of an issue or not, but I did manage to use misdirection to get out of a--potentially volatile situation unscathed and without the other realizing they'd been played."

"We can definitely count that," Aly said quickly, looking a bit proud. "And good job avoiding any scathing. Want to tell us how you managed it?"

Ino looked impish.

"I played very very clueless," she said lightly. "And he gave me more information than he might've if I'd acted like I'd had half a brain cell to rub together."

Aly's expression nearly matched Ino's. "Ah, yes, the 'I'm just a girl' technique," she chuckled. "Being underestimated is always useful. Nice job. I'm glad you got out of it okay."

"It weren't so bad," she said, smiling at the compliment. "I think other people've been taking it harder than I have what happened."

"I forgot," Kyle admitted. "Sorry."

"So what are you going to do this week then?" Aly asked, unable to keep a bit of a smile from her lips at his blunt assessment.

"Try it once and spend the rest of the week apologizing."

"That's the positive outlook that will help you succeed!" she replied with a chuckle. "I think you're underestimating yourself."

Re: Report on your Homework [Rev 10-06]

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"Yeah, I didn't really remember to use the techniques," Luke said sheepishly. "I was, uh, kind of surprised I had guests."

"From your response to the activity last week, I'd have thought those techniques came pretty naturally to you," Aly remarked, and she might have been teasing just a little. "No matter - give it a try this week when random family members probably won't show up to throw you off your game?"

"Yeah, I can do that," he said with a smile. "Thanks."

Most of his school experience came from movies so he expected to get yelled at or whatever for not doing his homework. What a pleasant surprise.

"I didn't meet anyone's family," Elphaba said. "So I believe I failed the assignment."

She shrugged and left it at that. She didn't like the idea of failing an assignment, but she also had done so for very good reasons.

Aly nodded, not quite sympathetically but understandingly. "Take another week and try to meet someone new to give the ideas a go around. See how they work for you."

Elphaba nodded in return. "I will do that," she said. "I'm sorry for needing accomodation." And she genuinely was. After all, she could have gone out and met people.

"That's what I'm here for," Aly said honestly. She gave Elphaba a wink. "Besides, if I hadn't had to hold office hours, I might've avoided the insanity this weekend too."

Cally tried not to look embarrassed, and failed utterly. "I... appear to have spent the weekend trapped in a locker," she said. "I managed - just - to avoid eating some rather disgusting-looking eggs, but I fear flirting would just have made the creature offering them even more persistent."

Aly couldn't help snickering at Cally's comment. "Let's give it another go this week. Without the persistent creature and his disgusting eggs."

Karla also looked embarrassed. "I flirted a little with an alternate version of my boyfriend?" she offered. "But it was harder than it sounds because it was a little awkward."

She wasn't sure if she should count her interaction with Ranon, simply because she stuck to Protocol for that and not Aly's instructions.

"One of those only in Fandom moments, huh?" she asked, with a bit of a grin.

"I was not in Fandom", said Cloud easily, because it was true. "So I didn't really meet anyone." Which was a shame, since even he was interested in just what kind of people would come over, but at any rate, he had had fun on Gaia, not that he would ever admit that.

"Better work on it this upcoming week then," Aly replied. "

"I didn't really meet any of my friends' families," Rinoa admitted. "And I was too busy fighting with my father to try any of this on him."

"They don't usually work on your da anyway," Aly said easily. "Trust me, I've tried."