http://furious-maximus.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] furious-maximus.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2011-08-29 11:30 pm

Bringing Literature To Life--Through Violence! [Tuesday, Second Period]

Cindy was leaning on the desk when the class arrived, stirring a cup of coffee. More coffee and pastries were set off to the side for the class to partake if they were so inclined. “Morning class,” she greeted. “And welcome to those of you who are new. I’m Professor Cindy Perrault and this is Bringing Literature to Life--Through Violence.”

Max was standing at a loose sort of attention off to the side just a bit. Jeans and a slightly rumpled white button-down shirt were dressy enough for class, right? He grinned. "I'm Antillar Maximus. For this course you can call me Centurion." His grin broadened. "I suspect you can guess which part of the class is my forte."

Cindy raised an amused eyebrow at him, but didn’t argue. Not everyone needed to know about her weapon specialties, so Max’s statement could stand. “So, the way this class will work is pretty simple. The Centurion and I will be trading off classes; your classes with me will cover some famous battles in literature and then, in your classes with him, you’ll get to experience the way the actual battles and weaponry work.”

Hey, Max knew she could kick his butt, but that wasn’t part of her cover. And if he could help her build that up, he was happy to. “We’ll be doing some pretty physical stuff, so wear something you can move in. And let me know if there’s anything we should know about your physical condition.”

He grinned. “One of the things we’re hoping you can do is put together the two segments of these classes in your head. Understand how the reality of combat and the way it’s used in literature line up with each other. And how they don’t.”

“And we’ll get into all of that next week,” Cindy finished. “This week is for introductions and heaven forbid we skip tradition.”

Max nodded in agreement. “Yes. We’re very traditional in here, after all.”

Cindy snorted. “Damn right we are. So--introductions. First the basics: name, class, and where you’re from. Then the good stuff--tell us about how war is waged back home. Are armed clashed generally small battles, where everyone can see one another’s faces? Massive armies? Fleets of ships or tanks or what-have you? What kind of weapons are used? Or is warfare shunned entirely, and all problems are solved through diplomacy? Whatever you feel like sharing is fine.”

“At the same time, we want you to tell us a bit about how war is treated in stories. Is it a glorious example of individual prowess? Is it a warning against the horrors that people can inflict on one another? Are wars presented as glorious nationalistic narratives, or as a way of highlighting the evils of warmongering? Let’s all get a feel for how we think and talk about war.”

Re: History is Written by the Victors

[identity profile] withasword.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"A lot of the time it's simple as word of mouth," Kate said. "My father taught me about ancient wars, and a lot of that was from old scriptures, but-- If you want to know about a war today, it'll be from someone telling you to avoid downtown, because the Breakers are kicking off against the PAD."

Re: History is Written by the Victors

[identity profile] steel-not-glass.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Gang violence?" Cindy asked. "And how are those old stories framed? Glory? Something to avoid? Something to learn from?"

Re: History is Written by the Victors

[identity profile] withasword.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"That depends who you hear it from," Kate answered, twitching a shrug. "I ran with the Breakers for months. Hear it from one of them, it's encouraged to get involved. It's their fight."

"Hear it from my guardian, and he'd tell me to stay out of it. I don't rely on them now, it's not my problem."

Re: History is Written by the Victors

[identity profile] steel-not-glass.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"How do the Breakers frame their fight against the PAD?" she asked. "Are they defending their territory, or standing up against dangerous rivals, or is the other gang too weak to hold onto its territory?"

It was all about framing, really. The same events, explained from different viewpoints.

Re: History is Written by the Victors

[identity profile] withasword.livejournal.com 2011-08-30 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"The Breakers they want their freedom, their territory... They're all kids. Street kids don't trust anyone, they don't want to have to rely on anyone. They hate authority."

"The PAD (http://kate.ilona-andrews.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.LawEnforcement) are the police." Or, well, the Paranormal Activity Division technically. But with around thirty percent of the population being magical, they were called in to oversee most problems. "They want order, but they can be trigger happy. First response units especially shoot first, and ask questions later." It was a volatile combination.