fandomhigh | Folklore and Fact: Mystical Artifacts, Week 11 (Thurs/2nd Period)

The display screens at the front of the room were running a slideshow that consisted of images of fire, today, and to add to the effect Sakura had placed two small, ornate braziers one on either side of the screen, both of them flickering away.

“Today we'll be discussing the concept of fire and its role in the mystical consciousness," she said once the class had gathered. “Fire is one of the basic elements, held to be one of the classical elements of many philosophies, and as such plays a symbolic and ritual role in many cultures. Consider, for example, the concept of the eternal flame. For a few minutes, please discuss the concept of fire: what ideas and feelings does it evoke for you? What does fire represent? What are its uses, and what symbolism can be derived from them?"

She gave the class a short period of time in which to talk about the idea of fire before she continued. “The sacred fire of Vesta was a key part of ancient Roman religion. Vesta, the domestic goddess of hearth and the fire, was often personified as flame, and the sacred fire of her temple was believed to be tied directly to the fortunes of Rome itself. This isn't very surprising; in ancient times, allowing the hearth fire to go out was often a misfortune for the inhabitants of the household. If the sacred fire of Vesta was allowed to go out, it was commonly held as an omen of disaster for the city."

“An obscure text whose authenticity has yet to be determined tells of a fire that destroyed the Japanese town of Higuchi and killed 40,000 people whose souls were eaten by Lord Yodoshi," Sakura continued. “As I've said, we haven't been able to determine how much of this is fact and how much is poetic license, but it does seem to tie in, at least symbolically, to the Flame of the Ruined Country, whose name as you can probably guess comes from the fact that it is said to have destroyed an entire nation. Because it's so dangerous, I didn't get clearance to bring it to show you, but it is said to have been lit from oil made from the fat of cursed people and evil wizards, and burns eternally. It goes without saying that such a thing would be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands."

She looked at the class again. “So, for the second part of our discussion: what would you do with something like the Flame of the Ruined Country? Do you think it would be possible to use it for good?"

Once the discussion had subsided, she said, “Next week we'll be having a guest speaker; my colleague, Eiji Takaoka, will be coming to discuss the Hundred-Demons Mirror and the mythos of the demon race known in my world as the Ashu. I hope that you give him the proper respect . . . even if he doesn't appear to deserve it."

[OOC: Class Info Post is here, and OCD is up!]

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There were a lot of ways that Chris could have answered that question.

He could have lied and said it was about finals coming up (even though they were a month away), he could have lied and said it was about a girl (even though he really hadn't talked to Jo lately), or he could have lied and said he was worried about Aunt Phoebe.

Instead, he blurted out, "DVDs dude?"

"There are no DVDs!" Wyatt flailed. "Netflix! Returned!"

"Why would you send DVDs of you and Anders to Netflix?!" Chris demanded, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

"There is no DVD of me and Anders!" Wyatt said. "It doesn't exist! Who the hell told you that?"

"Cally did," Chris said. "Last night. She said that you two had a thing and there was a DVD and you were making copies."

"I'm going to kill her," Wyatt said through gritted teeth. "Look, Anders is just my friend. And Cally's his ex and she has this weird obsession with him and his sex life. She makes up crap about him and spread it to anyone who'll listen."

"So you're not... you know... with him?"

"No!" Wyatt said.

Chris sighed. "Thank GOD," he said. "I was beginning to think my virtue might be compromised by him."

Wyatt snickered. "Don't worry. I told him your ass was off limits."

"Things I didn't ever need to think about," Chris said, grimacing.

"Your virtue is safe, little bro," Wyatt said, smacking his brother on the back. "You're still going to die a virgin."

"Whatever, dude."

"Anyway," Wyatt said, "I wonder if there's a spell in the Book to get Cally to shut her mouth. I'm tired of her crap."

"I wouldn't mind teaching her a lesson," Chris agreed. "She should learn to think before she speaks. We can get together tomorrow and go through the book."

Wyatt smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Folklore and Fact: Mystical Artifacts, Week 11 (Thurs/2nd Period)

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