Blacksmithing Basics; Monday, Second Period [05/15].

[special_rabbit]

"Morning, everyone!" The fire extinguisher had been refilled, nothing too weird or out of the ordinary was going on, and so it was a good day for blacksmithing! Of course, Amaya sort of figured any day was a good day for blacksmithing, but she was, clearly, eager to get going on today's task and see where they might end up. "Last week, of course, we took some time to review some of the basic blacksmithing techniques used when shaping your metal, and usually, for this class, we'll take that into making some daggers, but, since you've all got a bit of experience, we're going to step it up a notch, and focus on swords this session. Now, I'm sure I know what you're thinking. You're thinking...but Amaya! Aren't swords just daggers, but bigger? And the easy answer is...well, yes, kind of. But of course the easy answer isn't always the full answer, and working with swords means bringing in a whole new host of considerations and tricks tot he anvil, as you'll find out as we go along.

"But first? A recap, especially on tapering because that's what we'll be working on most today," said Amaya as she pulled out a piece of steel she'd been heating in the forge and went over some of the finer points of tapering and rounding that would be useful coming up, being sure to go over the various angles and pressure points, surface contact ratio, so on and so forth, stopping occasionally so that she could really show the students the results of what she was explaining.

"And now the fun part," she said, gesturing to the steel and hammers, gloves and goggles and tongs on each of the makeshift workstations. "Actually making the sword. Now, nice thing with a long piece is that you can hammer it pretty easily without needing to rely on tongs, but you'll definitely want those gloves. And then we'll be working on mostly just the tip, to form what kind of blade you want on your sword. If you want a particular shape, don't hesitate to mention it and I'll how you how to work that shape, but, for the most part, what I'll be showing you is just going to be your standard tapered tip. Be sure to watch the others while waiting, too; you might learn something just from watching. Case in point, while you're waiting, I'll hammer out the sort of shape we're looking for, and the way to forge the tang--that's the term we use for the handle, basically--so you can have an idea as you try to work it out yourself. Today is entirely just hitting and shaping, really, so let me know if you're having trouble and we can see what needs to be fixed, or if you think you've got it, just keep working, go in for a few more heats in the forge if you've got the time. And remember, the nice thing about steel and heat is that once you get it hot enough, it's malleable, meaning if you mess it up, just heat it up and try again, though if you do mess up, try and see if you can figure out how to just pound it back to where you want it to be, first. You might be pleasantly surprised.

"There's also plenty more where that came from, so if you keep messing up to the point where the integrity of your steel is compromised, we can just start fresh with a new rod. By the end of the day today, we should have managed to work out something roughly sword-shaped, and next week, we'll go over what we do after that.

"Anything else you'd like me to go over before we start? Or should I just let you all get to work?"

Underwater Basket Weaving and Other Aquatic Arts!; Monday, Third Period [05/15].

[in_sidon_we_trust]

One of the biggest issues with a water-focused class during the first session of summer was that the water was still a bit on the chilly side for most people, but that was why Sidon was bringing a new project to his Aquatic Arts this semester, and so, when the class gathered to meet at the beach, they would find the place well equipped with a variety of logs, poles, and clothes.

"Welcome back, everyone!" he announced, with an excited pump of his fist. "And welcome to another exciting Aquatic Art! Today, will will be exploring the art of raft building, with logs and a sail! This could be an incredibly useful skill should you find yourself in need of a raft with an abundance of logs, or perhaps just because you'd like to go for a little bit of a sailing jaunt, but there are no boats readily available! And since a raft can, at times, be a daunting task, I encourage you to get together and work as teams to construct the best raft you can, although tackling the project all on your own is also an acceptable and thrilling choice as well!

"Now, keep in mind," here, Sidon had to chuckle a little, "us Zora don't really have much use for rafts, so this is an Aquatic Art that I am a quite the amateur on, myself! But together, I have no doubt we can achieve great things in the area of rafts and boats! Let's get started, shall we?"

Pizza!, Monday, First Period

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden continued to be both nervous and excited about this whole 'teaching about pizza' thing, and once his students were assembled this morning, he got right into it with, "So, we're gonna skip over focaccia because it's still not pizza, but I did bring some to snack on while we learn, and then work. And you can see how this is a more direct ancestor of pizza, right? It's a flatbread. You can put stuff on it.

"So pizza got started in Naples. It was working class food, something you'd buy from a pizzeria or even a hawker who'd bought his pizza from a pizzeria. Some places, you could even buy pizza by subscription! You'd pay your fee, and then you could pick up a pizza a day for the next week. Genius. Don't know why we don't have that now. The earliest documented actual pizza comes from the 18th century and it was the pizza marinara, and it didn't have any cheese on it. What it did have was a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and olive oil." So it turned out that Rhode Island pizza was just ultra traditional. Who knew? "Another popular early pizza topping was one that's kind of controversial these days: anchovies. Because it was Naples. They were fishermen. They used what they had. Another option? Lard and basil. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it.

"That brings us to our pizza of the day: the famous pizza margherita. Legend has it this pizza was invented for the queen of Italy in 1889, but that's not...that's not true. People were putting this stuff on pizza way before then, possibly back into the 1700s. It just got its name then, because it never hurts to suck up to royalty, and hey, it does have the colors of the Italian flag!

"For those of you who are unfamiliar with the pizza margherita, it's topped with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella, so red, green, and white. Very simple, very delicious, and now we're gonna make some. You already have the dough--don't worry, we'll get to learning how to make that--so today we're just gonna assemble some pizzas and bake them. And eat them. That's the most important part." He proceeded to talk the students through how to shape the dough and prepare the toppings for a pizza margherita, demonstrating as he went and trying to keep an eye out for anyone having trouble. "And now we're just gonna put them on peels and transfer them to the oven to bake for eight minutes. It's nothing to be intimidated by, but I know that oven's really hot, so if you want me to do it for you, let me know."

Galactic Field Trips, Monday

[unusual_sith]

Today, class had been alerted to dress for warm, rainy weather, and informed to visit the bank and trade some dollars for Imperial credits if they were so inclined. Lana met them at the portal wearing armor again, but this time in grey and black.

"Today we'll be visiting Kaas City, on the planet Dromund Kaas," she explained. "It's the capital of the Sith Empire, and the city I was born in. It's probably best today if we stick together for the most part, and definitely be as polite as you can. Sith can be temperamental, and it's easy to get lost."

She led them through and into a plaza that was, as promised, warm and with rain drizzling down. "Dromund Kaas is largely jungle, and extensive long-term experimenting with the Force by some very powerful Sith have contributed to an almost continuous high-level lightning storm." She nodded at the sky. "Kaas City is almost entirely powered by lightning captured by giant spires throughout the area."

She led them toward a vehicle as she continued. "We'll be taking a shuttle tour of the city to view it from the air in a drier environment. Our guides will be able to point out the architecture and tell you something of the history. Then we'll sit in on a public audience with Empress Acina, after which we'll be taking the shuttle to the spaceport and heading into space to visit Vaiken Spacedock." Because she'd listened. "Vaiken is where most trade with non-Imperial merchants is done, and it also boasts a rather nice cantina. Today there will be a fashion show from both Imperial and off-world merchants, and you'll get to see some of how Sith tend to dress." Look, there was a reason she kept a file of the things on her datapad, and it wasn't for inspiration. Sometimes you just needed to remind yourself it really had been that bad.

"You should be able to wander Vaikan without issue, so long as you stay on the main level. If you get lost, simply head for the center." She nodded to the shuttle pilot and waved them all in.

Sam Eagle Presents WeirDONT'S: How Not To Be A Weirdo, Monday, Period Five, 5/15

[but_mostly_america]

The flag hanging on the wall was at Sam’s back and he was standing at attention behind his podium as the students for his class filed in.

He produced a pocketwatch, glanced at its face, then cleared his throat as soon as it was time for the class to begin.

“Welcome back, students!”

Sam peered at everyone. "Today, my fine young students, we will be discussing clothing!"

Were any of you wearing anything weird today? Too bad!

"I am firm believer in uniforms. If everyone wears the same thing then none of you will stand out and none of you will look weird! However that does not seem to be an option on this absurd island so I suppose you will all continue making your own unfortunate sartorial choices. "

Sam was judging all of you right now. Yes, even you. Especially you, Beaker.

"To not be weird I recommend wearing subdued colors! Nothing too flashy. Certainly nothing unwholesome. For that matter, nothing full of holes! Particularly holes from science experiments gone wrong." Beaker.

"Your clothing should blend in with those around you! And it should always be appropriate for the occasion. Wearing a bathing costume at the beach is all well and good but it should never be worn in a formal setting."

Sam glared around the room.

"Clothing with jokes on it should never be worn. Not even if you are a comedian performing on The Muppet Show!"

"Sequins and glitter are weird in most instances! Spikes are unacceptable at all times. Clothing that is deliberately distressed is both weird and a waste of money!"

Sam shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Weird fashion choices that can be made are endless. However, there are stylists who can guide you to the correct choices and tailors and seamstresses to ensure your clothing fits. Naturally, over- and undersized clothing would fall into the weird category. For today, let us examine your outfits to determine whether or not you have dressed weirdly!"

Sam looked around the room, hoping for a volunteer to begin.