Mad Kings & Queens: Raving Royals and How To Survive Them (Wednesday, 2nd Period)

[atreideslioness]

"Ivan IV Vasilyevich, or 'Ivan Gronzy' was the first ruler of Russia to call himself "Tsar" or Emperor King," Ghanima said briskly.  "His name is synonymous in the West with torture, cruelty, and paranoia.  He established a bodyguard, the Oprichniki, which has been described as Russia's first secret police.  Nevertheless, many people in Russia consider him a national hero."

( A title alone may hold symbolic power, but Ivan's political revolution went further, in the process significantly altering Russia's political structure.  )

"Interestingly enough, the English word terrible is usually used to translate the Russian word grozny in Ivan's nickname, but the modern English usage of terrible, with a pejorative connotation of bad or evil, does not precisely represent the intended meaning. Grozny's meaning is closer to the original usage of terrible—inspiring fear or terror, dangerous," Ghanima wrote on the board.  "Formidable, threatening, or awesome. Perhaps a translation closer to the intended sense would be Ivan the Fearsome, or Ivan the Formidable."  She tapped her chalk against the wall, and turned to smile at them.  "Somehow, Ivan the Awesome does not quite inspire the same fear as 'Terrible' does."

Friendship is Cakes!!!, Wednesday, period 3

[locointhecoco]

Pinkie Pie was at the front of the class today wearing four jauntily mismatched rainboots, a bright yellow raincoat, and an umbrella hat. Her boots *squished* every time she walked, which made her giggle. "Hi howdy, everypony! It's not always true around HERE where nopony even controls the weather --" WHAT THE HELL, HUMANS "-- but back home in Equestria, spring always means lots of lovely springy rain showers!"

Derek was in his usual leather jacket that would do nothing to keep him dry. But it looked cool. So.

"Yes, it's so weird no one controls the weather," Derek said with a sigh. "Instead of an insane island that once rained small animals in balls."

Protip: both were weird.

"That was SO CUTE!" Pinkie squealed happily. "I wish that would happen again. Or some of that chocolate pudding rain I've heard about. I love chocolate rain." She sighed, momentarily SO VERY SAD -- then immediately brightened again. "Anywho, this week we're going to make springy rainy cakes! Like this!"

Yup. That was a cake with an umbrella. Aren't you glad you're in this class?

"April showers and that stuff," Derek added, slightly impressed by the cake despite himself. "We got a bunch of pastel frosting and fondant for you guys to try your own cakes."

If Pinkie hadn't eaten it.

Hey now, Pinkie never ate all the icing and decorations before class!

Mostly because she made a crapload of extra.

"So get cakin' and have fun!"

Library, Thursday (4/9)

[wildandbrave]

Cosette was still poking at the bits of solar generator from class on Monday; there was something she was doing wrong, and she had a fairly good idea that there was some circuit she'd missed out on connecting, but as for what exactly it was, she hadn't narrowed that down yet.

She was in no mood to let that discourage her, so she had several books on basic electronics out on the circulation desk, along with close to a dozen tabs open in her phone browser.

If not for the constant crashing noises coming from the section with all the bowling books, she might have even made some progress on figuring out the problem. But no, she kept having to make trips into that one section to reshelve the bowling books and ask them nicely to behave themselves.