Basic Weaponry; Friday, Third Period [10/13].

[special_rabbit]

Missed class last week? What missed class last week? Surely, neither teacher knew what you were talking about.

But anyway, onto class for this week! Back out in the usual training field under the watchful shadow of that model castle on a hill, the table beside Amaya was set up with a smaller variety of weapons, and most of them were actually wooden rather than metal, and she greeted the students with a grin.

"Welcome back, everyone," she said, "and, since the school trip is up next week, that means this week, we're actually going to take a little time to get to know the weapons culture of our destination before we head out, which means we'll be doing over some of the traditional weapons of the Māori people of New Zealand! Now, the Māori tended to favor hand-to-hand combat, and so the weapons they used are reflective of that, and they usually crafted their weapons out of wood, whalebone, greenstone, and regular stone, which is, admittedly, a bit further out of my expertise, although I've had a hand at a few of those materials over the years as well.

"So, today, we're going to talk a little bit about the patu, the mere, the wahaika, the taiaha, and the kotiate, what makes them different, what they were used for, and how to use them. So let's jump right in with the patu..."

The Renaissance: Art & Science, Friday, 2nd period

[imafuturist]

The class would find their teachers pushing a Renaissance headpiece back and forth between them. "It's traditional," Steve said, "and you'll wear it much better than I would."

"I would never take art away from you," Tony replied smoothly, shoving it right on back at Steve.

"But I wear a cowl all the time," Steve countered, then glanced up at the class and smiled. "Hi! I'm sure that since you're looking at a week in New Zealand starting on Sunday, you're not remotely interested in learning today, but that's too bad."

"We have things to get started at least for after the break," Tony agreed, trying to just hide the headpiece. "Specifically introducing two of the most famous artists of the era, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo."

"Michelangelo is probably best known for his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, but he was also one of the most talented sculptures of his time. His work is still breath-stoppingly beautiful today," Steve said, "even if, well, the specifics of the female form seemed to have eluded him slightly."

"Some historians believe that it may have been due to a lack of female models for the work," Tony added with a laugh. "Which meant male models that were... tweaked slightly in the end."

Steve put a projection of some of Michelangelo's sculptures onto the wall. "Like this."

Did it look like the sculptor had just kinda...slapped some breasts up there? Yes.

"Can you all think of any other theories for this?" Tony asked the class.