Hello, class

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Class will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and possibly Fridays, all day. As long as people post that day, they are considered present. However, for your character's scheduling purposes, consider it magic time. Jareth has a busy schedule. He holds class whenever it suits him, and you can just get snatched over to the class when it starts and sent back at the same time when it's over--even when you're sleeping!]

CLASS IN SESSION

"Good afternoon, class. Welcome to Manipulation, Myth, and Magic. I am, of course, Jareth. The Goblin King. My teaching assistant this year is darkchylde_. I hope you all checked in with her when she gathered the class roster.

"Let's start with my expectations, shall we?

"Defy me, and I will send you to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Most other things--for instance, not completing your assignments--are negotiable, but are not without their price.


"The purpose of this class is to explore how manipulation, mythology, and magic interact together and with people, throughout history and the present. There will be practical demonstrations.

"Occasionally we will have a lab class where I will present several specimens for your further study. I will also give pop quizzes at my whim.

Today's Lecture


"All of the themes in this class relate and apply to sentient beings. This is convenient, since presumably all of you are sentient beings. Take manipulation, for example. Everyone in this room has used manipulation at one point or another. It is the act of doing one thing in order to trick someone else into doing what you--" Jareth pauses and gets a distant look in his eyes.

"I'll be back in a moment." He walks out of room (through the door, this time), is gone for precisely two seconds, and strolls back in, wearing a different outfit, and carrying a child. He snaps his fingers and four goblins scurry in with a throne. He directs them to put it down, kicks one out of the way, and collapses with the baby.



"Now, as I was saying, each of you has used manipulation many times in your life, starting from when you were small children," he jiggles the baby. "You would cry to get what you wanted. Granted, you could not outright ask for what you wanted, but that does not make your actions less manipulative.

"Your assignment for today is to write about at least one time in your life where you have consciously manipulated another person. It need not be the length of a grimoire, but the more thorough and succinct you are, the higher you will be graded.

"They will be due [in this post] by tomorrow morning. darkchylde_ will count them to make sure everyone has turned theirs in. And now I open the floor to your questions and...concerns." Jareth shifts the baby to the side of his lap and looks out at the class.

Comments

[demonbelthazor]

Question -- is this assignment for your eyes only or to be shared with the class?

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

To be shared with the class.

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige walks into the class and sits at the front*

*She listen to what the goblin king says looking much more interested in this class than any of her others*

[sunny-skyes.livejournal.com]

Sora stares wide eyed at the Goblin king and the baby in his lap. O.o; Wondering how the heck he did that, but doesn't ask.

"What if we can't think of a time that we consciously manipulated someone?" Looks confused and concerned.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Then you have larger problems than just passing this class. Manipulation is second nature. You simply need to learn how to see it.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

*Raises hand.*

Hey, teach. Does it have to be verbal manipulation?

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige laughs slightly, she decides a class is not the best place to discuss her most used menipulation tool aka her body*

[-farmboy-.livejournal.com]

*Westley's concerns are, at the moment, how does he get his hair to stay like that? Is that baby his and, if so, are hair styles or fashion sense genetic? Does the bog of eternal stench leave those that visit it with an eternal stench or is it more of a localized odour.

He begins his assignment with comment.

Some questions are better left unasked.*

[-farmboy-.livejournal.com]

[ooc: without comment.]

[pure-blooddraco.livejournal.com]

Draco is immediately impressed by Jareth. Not only because he seems to be the only magical teacher he has, he likes the way the guy dresses. Can never go wrong with black, thinks Draco.
When Draco hears about the assignment he looks like his birthday has come early.

Ah, where to begin? I've always been manipulative. I use my charm to get girls to do what I want. I use well-placed threats to get what I want from everyone else. I think my favorite time I used manipulation was this one time in school when this oaf Hagrid brought hippogriffs to class. I got injured by one and I spent the next month or so using the injury to get out of doing things. I had Potter do my potion's for me, I got attention from scores of people, it got the hippogriff a death sentence (he escaped) and I almost got that idiot Hagrid fired. He wouldn't have been fired if Dumbledore wasn't there. Ah well, he's not there any more, that's for sure.
Manipulation is actually very important in my job. In fact my newest assignment at uh, work deals with it.

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige looks over at Draco* You do know I'm here right?

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige looks from Draco to Jareth, she considers mentioning how she's used her body for get men to help her, but decides against it*

Erm I've used the fact my parents have died to get sympathy and friends I guess, I can't think of anything more specific at the moment sorry.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

I'm certain you've had other instances of manipulation. Think about it a little more. You need to recognize it best in yourself before you can find it in others.

[master-of-fear.livejournal.com]

*Jonathan walks into class and starts taking notes. When Jareth gets to the part about manipulation, a wide grin comes across his face. That assignment would surely not be a problem for him.*

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

Kiki comes in eagerly, smiling, and sits in the front. Her smile fades nervously as Mr. Jareth starts talking, and by the time he hits his stride, Kiki's eyes are wide with terror. After he gives the assignment, she sits chewing her fingernail and twiddling with her pen and staring at her paper for several minutes, looking worried. Beneath her chair, her cat Jiji makes a noise that sounds supiciously like he's coughing up a hairball.

Kiki suddenly seizes her pen and starts to write.

Kiki writes...

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

As a witch raised in a very traditional - some would say "old-fashioned" - way, I was taught by my parents to be helpful, charitable, polite, and respectful, and I have done my best to live up to their hopes. Behaving this way is not only right, but it also does much to make life run more smoothly. More flies are caught with honey than vinegar, as is said. However, being raised traditionally also meant that at age 13 I left home to live by myself for a year in a town I had never seen before. When I got there, I had little money, no food, no place to stay, and the people were very unfriendly. Although I was discouraged, I found that by, first, being as polite and kind as I had been instructed to be and by, second, by looking exactly like what I was: a 13-year-old girl thrown into a big city all alone, I got quite a lot of sympathy - as well as a room, rent-free, above a bakery. Free breakfasts, too! Manipulation is indeed a part of every life, both manipulating or being manipulated, and whether or not it is a decision made from the get-go. Manipulation doesn't have to be a sneaky plan; it can be as simple as just charming people by being polite.

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander raises his hand. "Does blackmail count as manipulation, or is that not subtle enough?"

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

It usually counts. Why don't you convince me in your assignment, Mr. Harris?

[seekersnitch.livejournal.com]

Ah manipulation. Mastered that.

"Let's say that I'm in love with this gorgeous red-headed fury. A real temptress. With her brilliant green eyes and rose petal lips, I mean, she's a knockout for sure. And I provoke her. All the time. Because the only way I can get her to talk to me is to annoy her endlessly. And sometimes, if I'm a really lucky bloke, I manage to manipulate her into hitting me. That's physical contact right there. And depending on what she's wearing and on my ability to position myself properly, I can almost catch a glimpse down her shirt. Not that I actually would, but if she thinks I did, she might hit me again and possibly give me a lashing that lasts at least 15 minutes, and you know, it'll give her verbal ammunition for the rest of the week. So really, my ability to behave like a prat manipulates the woman of my dreams to talk to me. In a sordid, completely ridiculous way, but hey, I take what I can get."

James looks down at his desk.

I'm an imbecile.

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige looks at the guy wearing glasses* That's the most pathetic I've ever heard, charm works to you know!

[notashepherd.livejournal.com]

Book pauses, places his hands together at the fingertips, obviously in deep thought.

As I'm sure a master of manipulation such as yourself is aware, the art of manipulation is best when it is the most subtle. The less one's subject is aware of manipulation, the more likely one is to succeed.

I, myself, have been studying the practice of hypnotic trance for several years now. This does not, of course, mean the things you see on stage at some carnival, but real hypnosis. Manipulating the mind in subtle ways to interact with an individual's unconscious. It is ever so easy to plant thoughts and ideas within someone's head when they believe they are being aided by a kindly seminary student.

Through this method, I have added several men to the ranks for the cause I believe in. And, I'm afraid, that is as detailed as I'm able to get at the moment, as the entire class is listening. The very best manipulation is, after all, done in secret.

[brandnew-world.livejournal.com]

*Hotaru buries her face in her hands for a minute, then sighs and begins writing, silent.*

[moonstruck-yuki.livejournal.com]

*thinks for a moment* ...I suppose...well...

There was a person who is very dear to me, who one day confessed that they had deeper feelings. I led them to believe that their feelings for me were the same as the love you would feel for a father or a brother. For the most part that was true, but I could tell that a small portion of them felt about me in a deeper way. I encouraged them to think of me as family so that they wouldn't ruin their chances of finding the someone who they could love wholeheartedly, just because they were pursuing something fruitless with me.

*smiles sheepishly* It feels so strange to write that down...I've only ever discussed it with To~ya...

[brandnew-world.livejournal.com]

*smiles at Yukito* It does feel strange, writing down things of this nature. *taps her pen on her paper*

[harried-potter.livejournal.com]

I have a mate who's pretty good at a sport we both like. He's fine when he gets over his attacks of nerves, but the problem is convincing him there's nothing to worry about.

Before one of our games, I let him believe that I'd given him a good luck potion. I hadn't, but he thought he had, and his confidence problem melted away. He was brilliant. And he did it all himself.

Of course that got me into all kinds of trouble with another friend of ours, as well as getting them mad at each other but we're not going to think about that right now.

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

*Paige looks at the new boy* well that's a nicer story than Draco's she thinks

*Paige smiles at Harry*

[miss-monochrome.livejournal.com]

::writes::

Well, once upon a time I managed to get myself a free ride on the last place I lived. I had a... slight problem with the authorities, but I got a certain blue-eyed boy to be my, whadya call it, "knight in shining armor?" Got his attention with my looks and my "I'm really not as bad as they say, I'm a poor, innocent victim!" act got him to promise I'd be alright. Didn't exactly end up the way I'd planned, but I got to stay so I guess it worked.

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

*looks up from her desk*

Does the fact I just got a job by passing the details of a supplier of poisons and neurotoxins to a disgruntled shopkeeper count?

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it does. *looks briefly impressed*

[death-n-binky.livejournal.com]

*DEATH listens patiently, but with an air of the unimpressed*

Re: Manipulation

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

I'd say yes. That is an excellent example. Excerting influence using "ho ho ho" as opposed to intimidation is much harder.

[death-n-binky.livejournal.com]

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. The first is good. But the kitten...that's just using threat, not manipulation. Manipulation is the indirect way to get what you want. Whereas...er...threatening the disincorporation of one's soul is as direct as it gets.

[connie-the-kid.livejournal.com]

Uh. I'm not so good with manipulation, it tends to blow up in my face horribly.

There was this one time I got a bunch of free stuff just by walking into a store. I didn't have to take anything the guys who work there were practically throwing it at me because of who I am. But then Superman Clark Uncle Clark Dad? someone made me take it back.

...

That actually sucked pretty hard man.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Yes, Connie is it? That does not count as manipulation. Think of something else. Do you or have you ever had a girlfriend? If you can't think of something you have done, I will accept a time when you were manipulated by another.

[12parseckessel.livejournal.com]

There was this big-time merchant, back in HyperMatrixCity. He used to like to cruise his ground car through the slums, looking for clever-looking kids, older ones. The kids he took always came back six months or a year later, educated, cleaned up and with jobs.

He always skipped me, because I was too little. So, I made plans. I hid a clean-up kit and stole some good clothes. I swiped a broken holoboard from someone's garbage and fixed it. Next time he came through, I was sitting in a very visible spot, playing the repaired board.

That time, I got the ride. Because I manipulated him into thinking I was smarter than I am, I learned to read and write. Okay, I don't do it too well. The math was more useful, and he taught me to pick pockets and burgle instead of just begging.

It worked out for all of us.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Bravo *claps gloved hands* That is a superb example of manipulation. It required thought, trickery, and knowing your target.

"Smart" is a relative term.

[conathon.livejournal.com]

Sawyer sat in the very back of the room, he was intent on seeing Illyana here since she was his TA. He sighed and wrote down what the assignment was, bugger.


I've manipulated tons of people, I can't even count anymore since I've done it from the age of 8. My Pa' committed suicide on my bed after killing my Ma'; he found out that a con-man named Sawyer had an affair with my Ma' and she gave him all our money.

I guess, it's in my blood now. I'm part of Sawyer now, can't deny that I haven't conned my way to get what I want. I remember conning a nurse into letting me have a $20, convincing her that my name was Teddy and I needed to feed my younger brother Markus. She took the bait and I got that damn $20.

Sooner or later that $20 turned into $20,000 as I conned my way up to the Government branches and just below. I know, only 17 but I've passed myself off as a Airline Pilot, Train Assistant, Cabbie, White House Employee and other things. I'm good, I can say, really am.

Too bad Pa' isn't here or he'd slap me a big ol' knob on my head for doing all this. I ain't conning no more since I really like this school system, it's comforting (and Illyana and I are..well, working that out.).

I think I rambled enough, Professor, thanks.


James reads over it again and lays his head on the wall behind him, watching the rest of the room buzz about as people discuss their small essays.

[fh_jackass]

The vice-principal at my old school was a big fan of my dad - and my dad's money. Needed to get a guy out of trouble once, so I dangled a pair of my dad's old boots in front of the vice-principal's face, and let him know that he could get the stupid movie props if he did what I wanted. Ugly-ass boots, too, and I wore them all morning for this guy.

Later I found out that guy had slept with my girlfriend. I thought I was being a good guy by helping him out, and he was probably laughing behind my back the whole fucking time.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Now that is a very excellent example. Not only did you manipulate, you recognized (if belatedly) that someone else also manipulated you. Bravo.

Assignment

[-farmboy-.livejournal.com]

I've never had much opportunity for manipulation. Kept mostly to myself back home. Worked long hours on the farm. Didn't interact with anyone but Buttercup and her folks that much.

But one day the Count stopped by and he brought the Countess with him. Said he wanted to know about our cows, which was such an obvious lie, you'd think the Count would be better at lying by now. Anyway, the Countess was looking at me, you know looking at me. Buttercup was watching us. I looked back.

I used the Countess to make Buttercup jealous.

It worked wonderfully, by the way.

Re: Assignment

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Very good! I applaud your ability to recognize it in yourself even in small and subtle situations.