atreideslioness: (Beautiful Princess)
Ghanima Atreides ([personal profile] atreideslioness) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2011-08-31 09:18 am
Entry tags:

The Art (s) of War and Peace (ATREIDES/KYŌRAKU) / Wednesday / Period 2

Another semester, another batch of bright and shining students.

Each desk had a copy of the syllabus ready and waiting, and Ghanima sat on her desk, hiding her smile behind her tea as they filed in; mentally cataloging the new and familiar faces. Apparently, a few of them were gluttons for punishment. And Shunsui, for what it was worth, was behind the desk, testing the limits of gravity as he tilted it back and put his feet up on the desk. He passed on the tea, but at least he wasn't hitting the bottle, though it was certainly there.

The moment the bell rang, her eyes snapped from the door to the children seated around the room. "Good afternoon and welcome," she said in a clear voice that carried effortlessly. "This is the Art of War and Peace, and I am Lady Ghanima Atreides. You may address me as Miss Atreides, Lady Ghanima, Miss Ghanima, or some variation thereof. If you are in the wrong class, please feel free to leave at this time. For those of you whom I have had in class before," she smiled suddenly, looking far less severe. "Welcome back."

"And while the formidable Lady Ghanima may represent the deadly beauty of the Art of War," said Shunsui, still from behind the desk, since he had no intention of giving up the excellent view he was guanteed once his co-teacher moved from her perch. He did give his arm a grand sweep, though, by way of a wave. "I, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, or Kyōraku-san if you must, will be representing for you the simple beauty of the Art of Peace. The lovers, not the fighters, though there is certainly no rule that one cannot be both ♥. War and Peace is a delicate dance, like love, like lovers, of two forces that are compelled to move with each other, sometimes in opposition, sometimes together, where one can be thrilling on its own but whose true beauty cannot be fully revealed without the tug and pull and ceaseless taunting of the other ♥."

"Very true," she agreed. "Luckily, however, we have a text for The Art of War." Scooping up her two piles of handouts off her desk, Ghanima began wandering up and down the rows of chairs as she talked. "A Chinese military treatise that was written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time. It is divided into 13 chapters, or P'ien, and the collection is referred to as being one Ch'üan, or chronicle."

"I would supply you with a counterpoint treatise on the Art of Peace," said Shunsui with a chuckle, his eyes shining sympathetically on the poor children and their having to read things, "but no one has bothered to write one ♥. Nothing as definitive as Sun Tzu, anyway. We are simply too busy just enjoying life, but there are a few. Still, the interesting thing about the Art of War is that so much of it can be applied to a more peaceful nature, as well; it just takes a bit more creativity. We shall get to that..." He waved his hand. "Eventually ♥."

"Sun Tzu himself is a bit of a mystery, and historians debate whether or not Sun Tzu was a real historical figure. Which, really, is par for the course with anyone truly interesting." Ghanima smiled at the class brilliantly. "If you're larger than life, they'll never believe you were real."

"I have that problem all the time ♥," Shunsui added with a very put-upon sigh, and another careless wave of his hand.

"I can tell," Ghanima replied, amusement glinting in her eyes as she moved to the front of the room, picking up her chalk to write quickly. "Now, for our first lesson:"
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will fight without danger in battles.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.


"Know thy enemy, know thyself. We'll cover it more in-depth later, but for today I would like you to go around the room and introduce yourselves. Give us your name, class, and some random fact about yourself. Pay attention to what your classmates have to say, you never know when such information could come in handy."

"And whether you use that information for war or peace," Shunsui added with a grin from behind the shadow of his wide-brimmed hat, "we'll leave that entirely up to you ♥."


[OOC: OCD ARRIVED.]

Re: Introductions!

[identity profile] sake-shinigami.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Shunsui gave a faint smile, also recognizing the girl from some of his previous classes, and her statement made him tilt his head. "Is that so?" he mused. "How do you usually determine such a necessity?"
trigons_child: (Serious Raven is serious)

Re: Introductions!

[personal profile] trigons_child 2011-08-31 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"I accept that violence may be required to defend the island, friends, or one's self from attack," Raven said. "But for myself it is not an easy decision. I do not wish to cause harm to another myself and prefer to use non-violent means to resolve a situation, but when I become angry or afraid, there is a risk I might lose control of my demon side."

Re: Introductions!

[identity profile] sake-shinigami.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
"And is it safe to assume," Shunsui may have straightened slightly in his slouch, but only for people who might be paying particular attention, "that your demon side is far more...liberal when it comes to applying violence, Raven-chan?"
trigons_child: (Red Corset - Serious)

Re: Introductions!

[personal profile] trigons_child 2011-09-01 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
Raven nodded, frowning. "I do not like it when it happens, and I try to control my emotions so it does not. But when those I care for are threatened, it is very difficult."

Re: Introductions!

[identity profile] sake-shinigami.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
The smile on Shunsui's face was a quiet one, almost a sympathetic one. "In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. That's our Sun Tzu-san right there, as well. Just as a warlord might do well to consider peace so that he is better prepared for his next war, us pacifists may do well to accept that a little war might be necessary to preserve our peace."
trigons_child: (Staring)

Re: Introductions!

[personal profile] trigons_child 2011-09-01 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
"I did not believe that when I first came here, but I have seen how Fandom has had to fight to protect themselves," Raven said, nodding slightly. "I saw those of my world allow themselves to die. With their deaths they did help end a great evil, but I cannot believe that would be the same here. I do not wish my friends to die needlessly."