Library, Thursday (12/4)

[wildandbrave]

Whatever strange feeling was going around had gotten to Cosette, too; she'd chosen not to take her usual early morning walk today out of a nebulous sense of unease. It was just as well (in one sense, at least) that she hadn't, since this way she managed to catch the radio broadcast, and . . .

No, after that there wasn't a question about her coming in to open the library this morning -- not that there ever really was, but even if nobody else got the idea to come look through the books for clues as to what was going on this time, she was prepared to spend her entire shift doing that herself. Even if the sisters at the Petit-Picpus hadn't been the sort to go in for exorcisms or the like, there had been a few books in the convent about the subject and when secular reading material was strictly forbidden you had to read what you could or be incredibly bored.

Or more bored, as the case might be. The point was that whatever had happened on the radio this morning reminded her of a few chapters in those books.

So there were plenty of tables and chairs available, and Cosette would make sure there was plenty of coffee available all day if people needed it; in the meantime, she was trying to round up all the books she could think of on ghosts or possessions or paranormal phenomena in general for easy access (and yes, occasionally this meant literally herding them out of the stacks). Except for the Time-Life ones, which were being very quiet and not volunteering themselves, thank you very much, Mr. Constantine.

The Art of Meditation and Kicking Ass [Thursday, December 4th, 2014, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

Anakin'd had a bad feeling about things from the second he stepped foot on the island, which was why the Danger Shop was equipped with punching bags, sparring areas, and a shooting range. "If this is your first semester in Fandom," Anakin began, looking serious, "the stories that the others told you about some kind of weird...something...happening at the end of each semester are entirely true. I don't know what this particular version is going to look like, but I have a bad feeling about things and since you're in a class about kicking ass, I know that telling you to stay off of the front lines is an entirely pointless waste of my breath. So I want you to be prepared."

He gestured toward the equipment. "Use whatever weapon suits your skillset and practice like you'll have to use it this week. Keep your mind focused." His lips ghosted up into a slightly humorless smile. "Mind what you have learned," he recited. "Save you, it can."

He'd be walking around the room to offer suggestions on technique.

The Art of Baking with Friends, Thursday

[locointhecoco]

The first sign that something had gone horribly wrong -- you know, other than maybe paying attention to what was going on yesterday -- was that Pinkie didn't . . . quite look right.

Like, her ears were sticking out too much.

Also, her hair was straight.

And her eyes weren't focussing. And she was twitching even more than usual. And mumbling about mirrors and numerology and OH GOD THE HORSES.

The students possibly should be leaving now.

Yes. Yes, they should.

'Derek' was eyeing the pony with so much disdain that the force of it could have caused some of the disturbances in the room. But it didn't. So, deal with him just being a giant, dramatic jerk instead. "Oh, how lovely. I'm not alone here," he deadpanned. Because he was stuck with two of the more annoying ghosts. Ugh.

"You are never alone!" the pony responded, pointing a dramatic hoof at Derek. Then staring at the hoof and waving it up and down with what would be almost scientific curiosity, if only his/her eyes weren't crossed.

Dammers had never really considered the mechanics of horse hooves before.

'Derek' rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the students who hadn't fled yet. Why hadn't they fled yet? "My colleague is a bit confused. We're supposed to be teaching--" He looked at the class roster. "--baking. Oh god, I stopped my nephew ruined the Hale name further."

Baking? Really? Couldn't do a little fashion?

Not this semester.

'Pinkie' stopped flopping her/his hoof around in the air and started coughing up a hairball. "Well," s/he said, once s/he got it all up. "That's just unsanitary."

You were disgusting, 'Pinkie'. Disgusting. "That's what you get for picking a pony."

"I AM PROTECTING THE SANCTITY OF THE HUMAN RACE!"

Seriously, kids. Just leave. This cannot end well.

Creative Writing--So Simple Even You Can Do It! (Probably)

[doesdoctorstuff.livejournal.com]

"So, we talked a lot about being a good writer, but you know what else can be really fun a lucrative?" Being a doctor, obviously! "Being a storyteller!"

Though the doctor thing was a good guess, let's be clear.

"Being a storyteller is like being a good writer, you still have to pick the right words and make your dialogue sound realistic and give your characters depth and stuff. If you just memorize a bunch of text, no one's gonna listen to you. But rather than having a ton of time to revise and edit, like a writer gets, you're up there performing in front of an audience. Of course, as a storyteller, you're not limited to making up your own stuff. You can retell fairy tales and old myths and all sorts of things. As a writer, you have to be a lot sneakier about retelling those things, or everyone calls you a plagiarist."

"But even if you're retelling other people's stories as a storyteller, the practice can still help you with your own writing. Telling stories to an audience means you have to get good at getting to the meat of a tale; people aren't gonna listen while you digress for ten paragraphs about stupid shit. And word choice matters; your words have to flow and keep everyone engaged and interested in what you're saying."

Navaan climbed onto her desk, sitting crosslegged on it to better talk to the class. "Some tips for being a good storyteller. Speak slowly and clearly, so everyone can understand you, but sometimes you can vary the speed up, like when the action gets going. You don't have to use funny voices or anything, but you do have to incorporate mannerisms to help people keep track of different characters. If you're telling a story, you're not limited to just your voice. Use your whole body! Really get into it!"