001. Class in Session

[copesetic]

[It's another beautiful morning in Union and what does that mean? For some students, it means being up at 8am for Professor Albert Heinrich's Pokemon Ethics lecture course. The giant blackboard in the university's smaller lecture hall is covered in notes all written in neat and even rows of white chalk and Albert paces in front of it. Today's class, as it's near the beginning of the term, is an overview of Legend of the Savior and an open discussion on how humanity came to be so arrogant in the past and what they can do as a society to prove that humankind has learned in the time since the Savior.

If any student wants to speak up in class all they need to do is raise their hand. If they want to discuss today's lecture, feel free to catch Albert after class. If anyone's late, they'll need to stand at the back of the room but are still required to participate. Disruption will not be tolerated! Professor Heinrich has a reputation for being something of a nurturing hardass; try and stay on his good side.

And remember, Pokemon are allowed in class, but if they can't behave the consequences are on the trainer.]

((ooc: Any sort of interaction is welcome for students! He takes all ages in his class and encourages lively debate either with him or each other so long as it doesn't become disruptive. If it does you might get detention.))

Comments

[copesetic]

Good catch.

[Albert moves toward that portion of the board, turning pages in his notes.]

The legend has been written down by several historians and religious writers for different audiences over the last five centuries and it has become difficult to sort out the actual length of time the original Union withstood the siege. The earliest known written account of the story-

[He points to another section of the board that he hadn't reached in his lecture quite yet.]

-is from 87 A.S. and only explicitly states "many" months as a quantity. We can gather from the use of 'months' instead of 'years' that it was less than a year and by the use of 'many' that is was more than two months, but beyond that the Delvers have not yet found concrete evidence of a solid span of time. The five months is a historian's estimate, written in a more contemporary time while eight is used in a religious text and scholars expect that the eight used there is an arbitrary number assigned from numerology more than having any basis in historical fact.

[improvings]

So it's simply a stand in for a figure they don't know.

[Laurent makes a note.]

Professor, there's a large amount of difference between scholarly and religious writing. Which do you believe is more truthful? Do you believe the legends wholly or do you perceive some as clouded?

[copesetic]

I prefer not to share my personal opinions in class, but I encourage you students to come up with your own.

[He addresses the room at large.]

That's actually your assignment for next class. I'd like an essay, at least two pages but no more than five regarding the various retellings of the Savior legend and your personal interpretations of them based on the data given. I'd like you to pay special attention to the purposes for which each version was presented and take that into account. If you have a drastically different idea of what may have happened historically, I expect you to be able to support it with citations. This isn't a creative writing class.

[There's a small titter of laughter across the assembled students but it's tempered by the several who are mentally groaning over having to write an essay.]

I'll give you the last twenty minutes of class to get started on your outlines. If anyone has anything specific to their paper they would like to ask me, please come up here and speak to me at my desk.

[A cacophony of shuffling papers kicks up as Professor Heinrich takes a seat. If Laurent would like to pursue his line of questioning, he's more than welcome.]