ext_227668 ([identity profile] suzotchka.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-08-09 11:04 pm
Entry tags:

Monologuing, Dialoguing, and Out-Quipping the Bad Guy, Workshop #5, Thursday morning

Ivanova's feeling delicate and tender and the dark glasses are once again much in evidence. She has a laptop sitting next to her when class begins, and a large, throne-like chair is set up at the front, empty for the moment.

"Morning, everyone," she said, pleasantly enough. "Today we're going to be trying something a little different. The last few weeks we've been working on one-on-one conflicts with an opponent - the outquipping and dialoguing bit. I hope, anyways. Today we're going to be doing some monologuing. Specifically, the good old standby of the rousing the troops speech. I've listened to more than a few of them in my long and speckled career, and I managed to get my hands on some recordings. Shut up and listen."

She poked a few buttons and played recordings, most of an older man who looked like he was from Iowa and should be selling used cars, but knew how to give a truly terrifying speech. A woman with a heavy accent and a strange bone crown gave a truly terrifying two-liner ("Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me, you are in front of me - if you value your lives, be somewhere else!")

When she ran out of clips, she hit another button that brought up a still photo, a string of ships hovering in Earth's orbit - and ominous shapes looming before them. "Quick future history lesson. Battle of the Line, the ultimate battle of the Earth-Minbari war. The humans on one side, defending Earth, and the Minbari on the other. The Minbari have lost one ship through the entire conflict, swatting our ships like flies. But, as you can see, this -" She tapped the screen, "- is the only chance for survival, to hold off the Minbari long enough to evacuate as much of the population as possible." Including me. Seventeen-year-old me, with my freckled nose pressed to a transport window while I watched my brother's squadron take the skies. "Today, each one of you gets to be the commander of these few, these proud. You have to get them whipped into a battle frenzy. You have to keep them from cutting and running. You have to inspire them." She smirked. "And, of course, by 'them', I mean 'us'. Your fellow peers will be your command. I want a peanut gallery, folks. Make your commander work for it." She jerked her head at the chair. "Chair's a prop. Use it as you will. Get going."

[[So. This lesson was supposed to be filled with cool quotes from Babylon 5. Instead . . . ninjas! There were, uh, ninjas! Yeah! That's it! But if this lesson were to have cool quote and links to sound clips, they would all be from The Down Below Sound Archive. Whose collection of bloopers is true distracting.]]

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] electric-sitar.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
Demyx signed in.

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
Pip signs in.

Re: Talk to Ivanova

[identity profile] cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
"You're wearing dark glasses," Pip said.

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Conner signed in.

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] thenamesxander.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Xander signs in.

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] joxertehmighty.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
Joxer signed in.

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] joxertehmighty.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
Joxer cleared his throat and adopted his dramatic voice.

"Okay men, as they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Well, we're each other's friends, so that means we aren't our own enemy. So together, we'll work hard, and fight harder. Are you with me men?"

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
River signed in.

Re: Talk to Ivanova

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
River smiled. "The rabbit is great. It scares Berthold."
sensethevisions: (Default)

Re: Sign In

[personal profile] sensethevisions 2006-08-10 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
Phoebe signed in

Re: OOC

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 10:57 am (UTC)(link)
I got distracted by the B5 blooper archive instead. I quite liked the one where Ivanova is talking about the enemy sheep.

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] peter--parker.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Peter signed in.

Re: Talk to Ivanova

[identity profile] lovechildblair.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Blair was nearby, of course, but focused on writing a letter more than paying attention to the class.

There was a bag from J,GOB next to him with a small sign that stated:

Monologue-free Zone.

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Conner spent most of the class period pacing around, trying to ignore Demyx, and desperately formulating a monologue. It was rough going, as most of his motivational speeches that weren't on the soccer field consisted of "Yeah! We can do this!" Eventually, though, he came up with something he thought would work. Maybe.

"Okay, team," he said, hands on his hips as he walked back and forth. "It's just you and me, that makes an us, against insanely impossible odds. Do you know what that makes us? We're the ultimate dark horse. Nobody expected us to contend, much less make the final round! Go out there and play hard, give it your best, and we'll come home with the biggest, best, most feel-good underdog victory story in the history of ever. Bigger than the Miracle on Ice! More famous than Mary Lou Retton! Something that, two hundred years down the line, they'll hate to talk about more than Dodgers fans will still hate the Shot Heard Round the World! Ready, team? Let's go out there and win, win, win!"

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] grand-fallguy.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Tim signed in.

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
River sat down in the chair, then looked up at her audience and smiled.

"I need you to do this. You may not return at all. You may returned injured, maimed and scarred. And even if you're lucky your heart will be different enough to be unrecognisable by your loved ones. None of that is of any importance. If you don't do this there will be nothing. Empty. Nonexistence. Possibly afterlife if your that way inclined. We all fear pain but we cling to life, and by doing this you cling to your own life as well as that of your loved ones. Perhaps you'll fail. But that's not really of any importance, because not trying is a guaranteed failure. So hold on to all those hopes and dreams of the future that you might have, and carry them with you."

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"No," River said. "I'm not a man."

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
River added some cheerleader moves for that. She felt like that went well with Conner's monologue.

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] grand-fallguy.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not going to lie to you." Tim said somberly. "The Minbari have kicked our tails time and time again and now they're standing on our front doorstep. Things look pretty hopeless don't they? But someone once said, that where there is left no hope, there is left no fear. But if you're afraid? Join the club. But there's something we've got that the Minbari don't. We're not playing to win right now. We're playing for survival. To make sure that the human race doesn't just disapear. If want to bow out, there's an evacuation ship with your name on it. The rest of us, will go out and make sure that you get the chance to live to fight another day. Your families are counting on you. On all of us. Because if we don't fight then the evacuation will have no chance of escape and we'll be wiped out. Either way you take a chance. So? What's it going to be? On your feet? Or on your knees?"

Re: Monologue

[identity profile] cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com 2006-08-10 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
That noise?

That would be Pip. Slow clapping.

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