Pony Express: Friendship is Cultural Exchange! Wednesday, period 1

[locointhecoco]

"I'm sorry about last week," Pinkie said, looking very sorry indeed as the class walked up. "We were hoping to go to the Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire, but Twilight's still perfecting that spell and we had no idea someplace that creepy even existed in Equestria!" She shook her head, and like somepony flipped a switch, was immediately her usual cheerful self again. "But I'm going to make it up to you this time! We're going to one of the funnest events all over Equestria -- other than my parties, of course -- the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange!"

A portal opened up behind her -- just on time, thanks again, Portalocity! -- and Pinkie led the way through.

"Rainbow Falls is one of the prettier towns in Equestria, as you can see. What with the waterfalls made of rainbows and all. Don't see those much around Fandom, do ya? And every so often they put on a Traders Exchange, where folks from all over Equestria can bring their goods and crafts and even random junk from their attic and offer it up for trade with other ponies! The only rule is that all trades have to be fair, and a trade is fair so long as both ponies agree to the exchange, so it's super self-regulated, and a great place to hunt for that extra special, hard to find something, or just a good bargain!

"We have regular money in Equestria, of course," Pinkie continued as she led the way between stalls selling everything from crystal chickens to rusted cookware to piles and piles of comics. "But sometimes it's good to throw off that old ball and chain and get down to business the old fashioned way. Lots of ponies really prefer a good swap instead of the crass, impersonal exchange of bits. Of course, at the end of the day, when you're trading a thing for a thing which you'll trade for a thing which you'll trade for another thing which you'd trade for YET ANOTHER thing which you're hoping you'll get so you can trade it for what you REALLY want by the time the Exchange ends at sundown, you start to remember why those bits were invented in the first place."

Pinkie stopped in front of a little wagon tucked out of the way, loaded down with an extremely random assortment of brightly colored and slightly dented items. "Here's some stuff for you all to trade other ponies with!" she said cheerfully. "Trading's more than half the fun of the Exchange, so I wanted to make sure nopony missed out. Dig in and fan out, and get trading! Wheeee!"

Surviving (and Thriving) on Fandom Island, Week 13 (Wed., Period 3)

[atreideslioness]

"Next week is your final," Ghanima said once everyone had gathered in the Danger Shop. "We will be taking you off-campus to an amusement park as a reward for having survived the semester. Your mission will be to enjoy the day without getting arrested, starting a riot, or otherwise calling undue attention to yourselves."

"Which, if I know Fandom students, can actually be a pretty big challenge," Tahiri said wryly. "And believe it or not, I really do mean that as a compliment."

"Starting a riot is actually quite an admirable skill," Ghanima agreed cheerfully, "--but that's a different class I teach, and not this one. Part of survival is learning the ability to blend in, and thriving would be enjoying yourself on an afternoon free of finals."

"Take today to practice anything you want to go over before next week. How money works, what an amusement park is, appropriate clothing, foods available... do as you like, and we'll see you next week."

"And for those of you who went on the fall break trip, it's not that kind of amusement park," Tahiri added. "Sorry to disappoint, but no dinosaurs this time, so you'll have to figure out other ways to have fun."

Ethics, Wednesday, December 9, 2015 [2nd period]

[sith_happened]

If anything strange had happened over the weekend, Obi-Wan was ignoring it so staunchly, some might have been under the sudden impression that the weekend itself had not occurred at all. He was standing at the front of the class, wearing the one robe and tunic his doppleganger had left him, and in front of him stood a line of boxes. "It is holiday season on this planet," he said, "and with it come very special ethical challenges."

"How much do you spend on a gift? Who do you buy for? What if someone presents you with a gift and you didn't get them something in return?" Anakin eyes sparkled mischievously. "What if someone gives you something absolutely terrible?"

"Do you speak your mind, or do you choose to soothe them?" Obi-Wan said. "I personally believe it's usually best not to make a spectacle of yourself."

Anakin, with images of Obi-Wan from the past weekend vivid in his mind, tried unsuccessfully to hide his snicker behind his hand. "Yes, you do," he agreed, "but sometimes the gift is just too awful not to say something."

"This is of course a minor ethical concern, but it is still something many grapple with," Obi-Wan said. He waved his hand at the gifts. "You will all pick up one gift, and give it to the person sitting next to you. The person sitting next to you must then decide how they will respond."