Anakin Skywalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sith_happened) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2019-03-15 10:40 am
sith_happened) wrote in fandomhigh2019-03-15 10:40 am
Entry tags:
Practical Diplomacy, Friday, March 15, 2019
"A great deal of mental energy in diplomacy is devoted to managing personalities and their professional interests to stop conflicts before they begin," Anakin said, rolling his eyes, "because people, by and large, are petty and kind of dumb."
Thanks for that optimistic appraisal, Anakin.
"Today you'll have to set this table," he said, gesturing to it, "with the complete compliment of dishes, glasses, and silverware for a diplomatic function." He rolled his eyes again. "Which is a complete waste of energy and silverware, but sometimes the trappings really matter." He then took the students through a formal place setting with obvious knowledge but complete impatience for the entire thing.
Obi-Wan had despaired of teaching him this part.
"To make your lives easier for this exercise, we'll say that you will be joined at this table with only seven other people," Anakin said, holding up namecards. "Let me tell you about them, and then you decide where they sit in order to have the most interesting evening that will not involve someone dumping their water glass on someone else."
Your guests were:
1&2) A very talkative ex-head of state and his husband. The husband was a gardening enthusiast, and they had both traveled extensively throughout the galaxy. The husband had a shellfish allergy.
3) A female shellfish industry CEO who hated flowers.
4&5) Missionaries from a nearby planet who were looking to convert the local population to their religion. News stories recently talked about their sect's foray into fish sacrifice, which had greatly impressed the locals, but one of their main religious tenets spoke against same-gender partnerships.
6) A diplomat from an allied planet. Charming, smooth to talk to--had a tendency to get handsy if he drank too much.
7) A cultural attache from a non-allied planet. Clearly a spy, but no one says so. Hates you personally. His views on fish are unknown.
"Tell me who sits where and why," he said.
Thanks for that optimistic appraisal, Anakin.
"Today you'll have to set this table," he said, gesturing to it, "with the complete compliment of dishes, glasses, and silverware for a diplomatic function." He rolled his eyes again. "Which is a complete waste of energy and silverware, but sometimes the trappings really matter." He then took the students through a formal place setting with obvious knowledge but complete impatience for the entire thing.
Obi-Wan had despaired of teaching him this part.
"To make your lives easier for this exercise, we'll say that you will be joined at this table with only seven other people," Anakin said, holding up namecards. "Let me tell you about them, and then you decide where they sit in order to have the most interesting evening that will not involve someone dumping their water glass on someone else."
Your guests were:
1&2) A very talkative ex-head of state and his husband. The husband was a gardening enthusiast, and they had both traveled extensively throughout the galaxy. The husband had a shellfish allergy.
3) A female shellfish industry CEO who hated flowers.
4&5) Missionaries from a nearby planet who were looking to convert the local population to their religion. News stories recently talked about their sect's foray into fish sacrifice, which had greatly impressed the locals, but one of their main religious tenets spoke against same-gender partnerships.
6) A diplomat from an allied planet. Charming, smooth to talk to--had a tendency to get handsy if he drank too much.
7) A cultural attache from a non-allied planet. Clearly a spy, but no one says so. Hates you personally. His views on fish are unknown.
"Tell me who sits where and why," he said.
Sign in 3/15
Practice Setting the Table
Who Sits Where?
The table is a circle--who sits to your right and left, where do the others slot in and why?
Talk to Anakin
OOC
Re: Sign in 3/15
Re: Practice Setting the Table
Re: Who Sits Where?
"Since I'm quite sure," he started, flashing Master Skywalker one of his best winning smiles, "that the idea of scraping the whole concept of a table altogether and approaching this isn a much more casual Zora fashion would be completely out of the question, I believe my plan would go as such:
"To my right, one of the missionaries, as I would have a great deal of interest in the tenants of their religion that involved such an inimate relationship with the sacrifice of my own kingdom's main food source, and, next to him, the shelffish entreprenuer; this may lead to some possible debate on their part regarding the sacred and secular uses of fish, but this places me hopefully close enough so that I may interject, as I would also be interested to see what this entreprenuer might like to think of a society full up with skilled fishermen!
"Next to her, the spy. He could be a wild card, or he could be a neutral position, but, either way, he is away from me enough that is clear animosity toward me might not be an issue, though I am certainly in his view so he may be nicely distracted by glaring. Next to him, the second missionary. This places the spy, with his unknown views, between one who sells fish and one who sacrifices them; should his opinion be of wishing to preserve the life of these fish, surely his position as a spy and not wanting to give himself up, despite all of us already knowing, would encourage him to hold his tongue to play his game.
"Next to the second missionary, seperated from his fellow because we needn't have them 'gang up' on anyone with their views, is the smooth talking dipolomat, who may work as a suitable buffer between the missionary and the ex-head of state's husband, who sits on the diplomat's other side. No need to have either of the missionaries sitting too close to the married couple if it may conflict with their personal beliefs, and there's no need to seperate the married couple, either, for that matter. Which then leaves the ex-head of state sitting beside his husband and myself, completing the circle in a way that I imagine would allow us all to engage in a civil fashion that would not leave too many fins rustled or particular discomfort on the part of any of the guests."
Re: Sign in 3/15
Re: Who Sits Where?
Re: Who Sits Where?
No, Sidon, don't...
Ugh, yup. Sidon was definitely winking at his girlfriend
if she was thereas he said it, because he was terrible."--exceptional."
Re: Sign in 3/15
Re: Practice Setting the Table
She really hadn't missed it.
Re: Who Sits Where?
"I would put the spy next to me. If he hates me, it's best to keep him close so I can watch him. If he's not able to keep his antagonism in check for one meal, he isn't much of a spy, is he? Next to him, I'd put the ex-head of state's husband, then one of the missionaries, then the handsy diplomat. When faced with one obnoxious seatmate, the missionary will be forced to hold conversation with the husband, and might actually enjoy it, and hopefully learn to moderate their views.
"On the other side of the diplomat, the ex-head of state. If he was at all successful in his career, he'll hopefully know how to handle a bit of handsiness. On his other side, the other missionary." Lana had no patience for sexual bigotry. If these people couldn't keep it in check for one meal, it was their own lookout.
"And then the shellfish CEO. I'm not terribly fond of flowers myself, so at least we'll have something to talk about. If dinner gets too boring, I can always flirt."
Really. No patience.
Re: Sign in 3/15