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fandomhigh2015-01-20 12:19 am
nuclear_snide) wrote in fandomhigh2015-01-20 12:19 am
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Defending Yourself Against Magic | Tuesday, 4th period
The Danger Shop this week was split in half. One half was a classroom - well, Bob's idea of a classroom, which was more like a scriptorium than a modern classroom. The other half looked like it had last week - exactly as it had last week.
"Last week, your job was to stop our fictional Warden Morgan from fictionally killing every fictional person in the fictional city," Bob said. "Since I doubt everybody here knew what each other person was doing, I'm going to play it back for you now."
The simulation started, and they got to see themselves fighting or arguing or hiding. Bob kept it slow, pausing it to point out certain things.
"Firstly, congratulations. More than one of you managed not to go in with your physical or metaphorical guns blazing, and actually tried to get him to talk. Apparently we've some budding diplomats here." He nodded approvingly at Elsa and Nathan particularly. "It won't always work, of course, but when you can manage it, it's certainly less destructive."
He went to stand in front of the recorded version of Anders. "And of course, you must accept that sometimes, the time for talk is past, you're not getting anywhere, and you'll just have to fight." Another approving nod before he strolled over to the recorded Carmilla. "Or that you have no bloody clue what to do and are better off out of the way." Yet another nod.
He turned back to the real students. "None of these are bad reactions in and of themselves; they all have their places. In this case, talking did the most good. Left to other people, maybe there'd have been more fighting. Hiding may be the best thing to do against someone more powerful, but keep in mind you're also not helping end the problem that way."
"Now, as Elsa and anyone who was listening in last week knows, Morgan here was programmed with the brains of a four-year-old. Largely because I never expected him to have to speak much, and I'm still working my way around this thing." He waved to indicate the room. "Also because small children are possibly the most illogical, disagreeable, and stubborn beings I know of."
No, Bob wasn't a child person. Why did you ask?
"Something else to think about, though, is this." He steepled his hands and pointed them at Morgan. "What if you had known that going in? What if he were an actual child? What if he were an innocent being controlled or possessed? Would your actions change? What if the danger he posed were real and immediate - if you didn't take him out of the picture quickly, many more people would be injured or killed? Would you be more or less likely to talk, fight, or hide?"
He paused to let them think about it. "I don't know the right answer. I don't think there is one," he said solemnly. "You have to make your decisions based upon the knowledge you have at the time, and how you can best live with yourself afterward. But do think about it. Be aware of your limitations and your tendencies. A very good part of defending yourself against hostile magic is knowing yourself. There are a lot fewer nasty surprises that way."
He wrote it in the air: Know yourself. "This also means knowing your own capabilities and when you're outclassed."
He kept writing. "Other things you will find important," he explained.
Keep a cool head "Don't panic. You're a lot more likely to make mistakes that way. Stay calm, take deep breaths if it helps. Don't get rattled by the situation."
Observation He eyed the simulation again for a moment. "One thing that can be very important is teamwork. I won't be harping on about it - either it works for you or it doesn't. Some people work better on their own. But," he stressed, "even if you aren't working in a team, you need to be aware of other people, what they're doing and where they are. Failing to do that can mean hurting an innocent bystander or getting in the way of another spell. Friendly fire isn't any less deadly, as a general rule."
Focus "Don't get distracted. Be aware of everything and everybody else, yes, but don't forget what you're setting out to do. Don't try to do too much at once, and don't lose track of your objective."
He eyed them all. "So. Let's discuss; what do you think of what went on, what do you think you could use the most work in, and where are your limits and strengths? What about your classmates - what do you think they could have done better? Keeping it respectful, please. Oh, and one other thing." He wrote again: safeword. "Not just for kinky sex. If at any point during one of these demonstrations you're uncomfortable enough to need to stop or pause it, just yell 'uncle'. I'm here to prepare you, not traumatise you."
"Last week, your job was to stop our fictional Warden Morgan from fictionally killing every fictional person in the fictional city," Bob said. "Since I doubt everybody here knew what each other person was doing, I'm going to play it back for you now."
The simulation started, and they got to see themselves fighting or arguing or hiding. Bob kept it slow, pausing it to point out certain things.
"Firstly, congratulations. More than one of you managed not to go in with your physical or metaphorical guns blazing, and actually tried to get him to talk. Apparently we've some budding diplomats here." He nodded approvingly at Elsa and Nathan particularly. "It won't always work, of course, but when you can manage it, it's certainly less destructive."
He went to stand in front of the recorded version of Anders. "And of course, you must accept that sometimes, the time for talk is past, you're not getting anywhere, and you'll just have to fight." Another approving nod before he strolled over to the recorded Carmilla. "Or that you have no bloody clue what to do and are better off out of the way." Yet another nod.
He turned back to the real students. "None of these are bad reactions in and of themselves; they all have their places. In this case, talking did the most good. Left to other people, maybe there'd have been more fighting. Hiding may be the best thing to do against someone more powerful, but keep in mind you're also not helping end the problem that way."
"Now, as Elsa and anyone who was listening in last week knows, Morgan here was programmed with the brains of a four-year-old. Largely because I never expected him to have to speak much, and I'm still working my way around this thing." He waved to indicate the room. "Also because small children are possibly the most illogical, disagreeable, and stubborn beings I know of."
No, Bob wasn't a child person. Why did you ask?
"Something else to think about, though, is this." He steepled his hands and pointed them at Morgan. "What if you had known that going in? What if he were an actual child? What if he were an innocent being controlled or possessed? Would your actions change? What if the danger he posed were real and immediate - if you didn't take him out of the picture quickly, many more people would be injured or killed? Would you be more or less likely to talk, fight, or hide?"
He paused to let them think about it. "I don't know the right answer. I don't think there is one," he said solemnly. "You have to make your decisions based upon the knowledge you have at the time, and how you can best live with yourself afterward. But do think about it. Be aware of your limitations and your tendencies. A very good part of defending yourself against hostile magic is knowing yourself. There are a lot fewer nasty surprises that way."
He wrote it in the air: Know yourself. "This also means knowing your own capabilities and when you're outclassed."
He kept writing. "Other things you will find important," he explained.
Keep a cool head "Don't panic. You're a lot more likely to make mistakes that way. Stay calm, take deep breaths if it helps. Don't get rattled by the situation."
Observation He eyed the simulation again for a moment. "One thing that can be very important is teamwork. I won't be harping on about it - either it works for you or it doesn't. Some people work better on their own. But," he stressed, "even if you aren't working in a team, you need to be aware of other people, what they're doing and where they are. Failing to do that can mean hurting an innocent bystander or getting in the way of another spell. Friendly fire isn't any less deadly, as a general rule."
Focus "Don't get distracted. Be aware of everything and everybody else, yes, but don't forget what you're setting out to do. Don't try to do too much at once, and don't lose track of your objective."
He eyed them all. "So. Let's discuss; what do you think of what went on, what do you think you could use the most work in, and where are your limits and strengths? What about your classmates - what do you think they could have done better? Keeping it respectful, please. Oh, and one other thing." He wrote again: safeword. "Not just for kinky sex. If at any point during one of these demonstrations you're uncomfortable enough to need to stop or pause it, just yell 'uncle'. I'm here to prepare you, not traumatise you."
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