Around the World in 15 Weeks [Monday, Period Three]

[doubleohblonde]

Bond was looking somewhat worse for wear this class.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I have a touch of the flu," he rasped by way of greeting. "So if you'd just settle in and watch today's movie, hopefully you'll get an idea of what can happen when a story from one culture is adapted through the lens of another."

[ooc: wait for ocd up!]

[Class Roster|Class Rules]

Reserves: Danger Shop, After Classes

[puppy_fair]

The Reserves were once again meeting in the Danger Shop, where they'd been instructed to dress for action. Once they arrived, they might notice that the spike-haired male leader of the group was off to the side, making stern faces at a little green fish-tailed lizard thing, while making a grab for the stabby little butcher knife that it was holding.

The things that Zack did for you people. Really, now.

Kennedy was trying not to smirk too hard, or look too amused; there was leader-like appearance stuff to keep up here.

"Hey, guys. So in case you're not done working off all that turkey yet, we've got an exercise for you today. Well, discussion time first, then we'll get to the actual fighty." Not that this was something that had been on her mind at all the past couple of weeks. Really. "So sometimes we gotta face facts, and acknowledge that we're up against something that outclasses us. Maybe it's stronger, maybe it's faster, maybe it's both. Maybe we can't hit it. But what are we gonna do, sit it out? 'cause I don't really think that's any of us. Just means we're gonna have to figure out alternate ways of kicking ass. Which is what this is all about."

...excuse her while she eyed the Tonberry. How was that supposed to live up to what they were talking about?

Oh, just wait, Kennedy. Just wait. Zack had finally managed to wrench the knife free from the creature's grasp, and had successfully replaced it with a squeaky hammer, which it stared at with its glowing yellow eyes for a moment, before showing Zack just what it thought of its new weapon with a DOINK! on his head.

"There's no pleasing everybody," Zack sighed, and then blinked up as he realized that there were people here already. "Oh, hey! So, today, we're all going to face off against this guy! You can feel free to use your fists or whatever weapon you want. Trust me, he can take whatever you can dish out!"

Doink!

Oh, the hell with trying not to look amused. Kennedy let out a snort of extremely skeptical laughter, but luckily left it at that.

"And he won't hurt you, either. I've already read him the riot act about casting Karma here in the Danger Shop." Because Zack totally had such a way with his summons. Truly.

[Open!]

The Mathematics of Quantum Neutrino Fields; Tuesday, Period 4 [ 11/30 ].

[ivejustinvented.livejournal.com]

"Good afternoon, class," said Farnsworth, who was in the mood to just get the torture of having to teach done and out of the way. "Today we're going to be talking about that astronomical anomaly commonly called a Void."

( Just like the ones in your heads. )

Finally, finally, he finished, and yet, somehow, there was still more time left in class. That, thankfully, was another subject on the relativity of time, especially when stuck in a boring class with a crazy professor, for another class. For now, he clapped his hands together and turned to his class with a serene, gassy sort of smile. "What I have today for you is a packet to work these equations and to see what results you get for where the proposed portal will end up. So get your nubile selves up here and get your homework and get to work."


[[ OCD is heading in arrived! ]]

[[ Previous Classes ]]

Unconventional Tactics, Tuesday, Period 2

[raspberryturk]

"Yo, Rookies!" Reno had barely even bothered to wait for the students to take a seat before leaping into his lecture, today. No, he kind of wanted to leap right on in, get this out of the way, and then pretend that he was sleeping at his desk for a while.

He was grinning, but Reno was in one of his moods, apparently.

"What is it that people always tell you about the best laid plans? They go all to shit, or somethin' like that?" No, Reno. That wasn't quite how the saying went. "Well, I'm here to tell you, you can plan ahead all you want, yo. You can take these classes, you can go home and start up a friggin' arsenal big enough to take down a whole freakin' country, but you don't never know what's gonna come barging through the door, bigger'n you and able to take whatever it is you wanna dish out."

He smirked faintly.

"Fandom's even more special for that. It sees you gettin' ready for one thing, it'll do whatever it can to make shit interesting, throw a wrench in the works. Hell, graduations around here are evidence of that, yo. One year, somethin' even blew up the school. Another, even worse, everyone had themselves an eyeful of Madrox's bare ass. In multiple."

And Reno's, singular, but Reno didn't actually see anything the matter with that, so why bring it up?

"Point I'm tryin' to make here is, Fandom Island is a multidimensional hub. And it's got a mind of its own. It knows when you're gettin' comfortable, and it's got every universe and timeline out there to pull from in order to amuse itself at your expense. And that thing you spent three months plannin' ahead for? That'll be the first thing to go, yo. Don't be too surprised when it does."

He smirked, though it was still a little tense as he heaved himself up to sit on the top of his desk.

"Assignment for today is simple, zoto. Pick somethin' you been plannin' for, or somethin' you want to plan for sometime soon. It can be a school event, how you're gonna deal with the next big invasion, a date, whatever. And then come up with ways that Fandom can screw it up for you, yo. If you see it comin', where's the fun in it tryin', right?"

Nevermind that this exercise was something like giving the island ideas. But hey, Reno never said that his assignments were foolproof, either. Heck, maybe he was just taking out his mood on the students by dooming them to Fandom's weirdness. Who knew?

[Open!]

Spaceships 101- 1st period- Week #13

[solo_sword]

It was back in the Danger Shop today, in what looked more or less like something they'd seen before. It was just missing a lot of the... militariness about it. "Welcome to the Errant Venture," Jaina greeted them. "You might recognize the look of this place, because it is a Star Destroyer. It's just not so much captained by the military anymore. In fact, just the opposite. Now, it's kind of a pleasure boat, albeit one that tends to be around when the good guys need the help.

"So for this class, you get to explore a little," she went on, knowing that this was nothing new for at least two people in her class. "Wander around, check out the aliens, just remember that this is all simulated so if you start with the gambling, you're not actually taking any money home. Sorry."

Library, Tuesday

[angelo_wings]

Today, Rinoa was curled up behind the desk with a book: Mr. Fitzwilliam's Younger Sibling. It was a continuation story of Jane Austen's First Impressions, set after the novel (and the Fitzwilliams' wedding) and placing young Henrietta Fitzwilliam at center stage, instead. Hence the title. Rinoa did like titles that made things perfectly clear.

Rinoa hadn't decided yet whether she agreed with the new author's portrayal of Henrietta, but the other characters seemed all but perfect, and the new Mrs. Fitzwilliam still her sparkling self. It was an engaging story nonetheless, so she expected to finish it before deciding her opinion for certain.

The library was open, and Rinoa would be happy to set her book aside and assist you.

Is A Cigar Just A Cigar, Tuesday, Period 3

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Like the old saying goes," Cindy drawled, "Hell is a nice place, but you wouldn't want to live there. Actually, it really isn't all that nice of a place, but it is a popular destination, at least for literary heroes." She shot a smile towards the class. "I beg the indulgence of everyone who's already taken the class on Heroic Journeys with me, but when it comes to symbolism, Hell just can't be beat."

"Anyway, there are two kinds of visits to Hell. There are the trips to Hell, which usually appear at the end of a novel as a fitting reward for those who have been wicked in the novel. These are not very symbolic--the author is informing you that this character was bad and Hell is a suitable end for him or her. Then, there are trips through Hell, or, more properly, the Underworld. As we discussed in our first lesson, all trips are quests, and this is no different. The only reason for someone to visit the Underworld halfway through a novel is to come away with knowledge. Usually self-knowledge, though they may also be granted a bit of worldly knowledge as well. This quest for self-knowledge may not be the reason the character thinks he or she is descending into the Underworld, but it's an important element nonetheless."

"There are a myriad different Underworlds our heroes can visit and trials they can undergo, though the most popular is the Greek version written down by Homer for Odysseus. Virgil borrowed that version for his hero Aeneas, Dante borrowed from both for his fictional self's trip to the Underworld, and it holds true up through today. Like much of what we've discussed, this works on multiple levels. When you see a character trekking through the Underworld, you know he or she is going to ultimately come away with knowledge. Whether it's Orpheus who learned simply not to look back or Dante's new understanding of sin in his own life, whatever the reason for them first embarking on the trip takes second place to the self-awareness they discover on the journey."

"However, not all trips to the Underworld involve trips to the Underworld. Literature has been building on the idea for centuries, so now the Underworld itself can be symbolic. Rather than having a character make a literal descent into the Underworld, the author can use a series of events and references so the reader understands that the hero is on a symbolic journey. The end result is still self-knowledge, but now it can happen in a grocery store, a scary neighborhood, or wherever the authors needs. So, what elements must an author draw upon to show where the hero is going? There are a few: the crossing of the River Styx, which can be represented as an perilous crossing--a river, a busy street, down a sidewalk filled with unsavory elements; Cerberus, the three-headed beast that guards the gates of Hades--usually any kind of scary confrontation, like a big dog or a nasty bouncer or the like; some kind of admission ticket--Aeneas had his golden bough, Orpheus has his violin, and Odysseus made sacrifices to summon the dead to him. The living cannot enter the Underworld without such a thing, as the Underworld is the realm of the Dead. A guide also helps, as the Underworld can be a frightening and treacherous place; Dante had Virgil, Aeneas had the Cumaean Sibyl, Odysseus has Tiresias, the blind poet. From these few elements, the Underworld can be crafted from anywhere and anything, and a discerning reader will know exactly what the author is getting at."

Parkour Club - Tuesday After Classes

[weetinyreese.livejournal.com]

This week's club meeting required a short hike through the Preserve to get to an area on the coast that Kyle knew well, having been out here plenty of times and occasionally having dragged people along. "Sorry about last week. I thought we could try something new today. These boulders are our obstacles. Instead of like regular climbing, this is more like what we've been doing with the buildings. The idea is the same as an urban climb. You have to think about what you're doing, where you're going and work out your route as you go. No need to go too far up. Try to get from here to down the other end of the boulders. It's not as easy as it looks. Look out for each other. If you get stuck or need help, call out and someone will come and get you. Let's climb."