Fur, Feathers, and Scales: The Biology of Domestication, Thursday, Period 2

[puppy_fair]

Today when the class came into the room, they would see the pillows-and-a-playpen setup had remained, the playpen full of a bunch of little round marshmallow balls, just warbling and going about their business.

"Hi, guys," Zack said, grinning brightly at his students. "Today we're going to meet a slightly smaller animal that I'm pretty sure you're going to like anyway. Today, we're going to meet the guinea pig!"

He leaned into the pen and scooped a little cream-colored one up, and then held it close to his chest as he spoke.

"These guys," he continued, "were domesticated on Earth thousands of years ago, probably less for companionship and more for meat. But, uh, please don't eat these guys. They're definitely more the 'companionship' sort. They're rodents, not pigs, and they're pretty easy to hand-tame. They're actually happiest with companionship. Little guinea pig colonies. This group here is a bunch of girls and boys, called sows and boars respectively, but the guys have all been neutered, since, uh... the shelter really doesn't need more guinea pigs."

They didn't need more of most things. Guinea pigs, chickens...

The little one in his hands was making a soft bubbling chattering sound, and Zack smiled a little.

"That sound means she's happy," he shared. "Go on, meet the guinea pigs, and maybe one will make that sound for you, too."

[OOC: Open!]

Team! Synergy! [Thursday, 1st Period)

[magnusrushesin]

There were posters hanging up all over the classroom today. The sort with majestic landscapes or an eagle in a clear blue sky on them.

You know, like stock photos.

"Welcome back, guys!" Magnus said, hanging up a poster with a kitten hanging from a clothesline. Living that cliche dream.

Cara meanwhile looked like she wished she was pushing thumbtacks into something other than a poster. "'Visualisations find exemplar motivation dual score goal'," she quoted flatly.

Anyone who suspected the class handbook had been run through google translate several times before reaching your teachers was probably right.

"And to help with... that," Magnus said slowly, running thast through another translator in his head. "We're gonna put words on these posters!"

Motivational posters for aaaaall.

"I'm sure you'll think of something suitably motivating." Unless you wanted suggestions from happy fun Mord'Sith here.

Popular Science | Thursday, 3rd period

[what_the_shock]

“Okay, so we're supposed to be following in the footsteps of popular conceptions of science," Miguel said. This was popular science, and he was sticking to that, damn it. "Someone pointed out to me there's actually a whole television series of people doing this thing where they see if a particular science rumor is real or not. That sounds good to me, and makes a lot more sense than just lecturing at you about this crap. I checked around for something to go by, and found a song I'm told is scientific, so we're going to start with that. Which at least means we have a set of lyrics to go by. It’s called Skullcrusher Mountain. I understand it’s got some genetics experiments in it, which is one of my specialties.”

He set the song to play while the lyrics scrolled on a screen up front, his own face screwing up as he listened. “Monkey ponies? Why would you even want to - okay, never mind, because we are not igniting the atmosphere.” Miguel’s fingers flew over the Danger Shop controls as he created a genetics lab a lot like the one he’d had at Alchemax. Then off to one side, he created a small corral of ponies, and off to the other side, an enclosure with monkeys in it. “Monkey-ponies. Gene splicers. Have at, see what you get.”

...

“I’ll be here to help if you need instruction in the machines.”