fandomhigh | Hello, class

[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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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

To be shared with the class.

*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*

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.

*Raises hand.*

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

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

*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.*

[ooc: without comment.]

Yes, that most certainly counts. As long as you aren't mistaking manipulation for intimidation or brute force. They lack finesse.

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.

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

[ooc: sorry, ALL forms of manipulation count. Jareth likes creativity, especially when mixed with a dash of cruelty]

Draco looks startled for a second. He smiles at Paige and leans over to whisper in her ear.
Can you believe this class? I hope he bought my manipulation story...hippogriffs, what the hell are those?
Draco puts on his most innocent face and hopes Paige can't see he's lying through his perfect white teeth.

*Paige shakes her head and laughs slightly* Hmmm, I guess I'll let you off, but only since you're so damn cute! *Paige winks at Draco*

Aw, teach. I'm hurt. I am nothing if not a man of finesse.

[OOC: If that's the case, I'm suddenly seeing Angelus as teacher's pet. ;) ]

*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.

*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.*

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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Hello, class

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Kiki writes...

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