Photography Through the Ages; Thursday, Third Period [02/15].

[hashtag_chocobro]

There was a lot going on in the classroom that day, plenty of glass plates and jars of things set up on some worktables up front, and Prompto was sitting on the top of the desk up front, idly tossing a potato between his hands as he waited for the students to come in and get settled.

Yes, a potato. Don't worry. He'll get to it.

....right away, actually.

"Hey, guys," he said, grinning a little and hopping off the desk to hold up said potato importantly. "You may be wondering why in the heck I've got a potato with me right now, but would you believe me if I told you that this potato has more to do with photography than you could have imagined? And I'm not talking about those 'potato quality' images you get when you try taking a picture of a really cool moon or something else from a distance, like a band on a stage or something, but the fact that potato starch was actually an important element in the development of color photography! It's true! I know a lot of people, when they think of old timey photos, think of black and white, and it was easiest to do B&W photos back in the day, but that didn't mean people weren't finding innovative and interesting ways to bring color to life in their photos, all the way back during the turn of the last century here. Right around the time those Kodak cameras we were playing with these last few weeks were coming around, so was a process called Autochrome Lumière, and today, we're going to learn about it and actually try it for ourselves!

"Now, the process involves a positive transparency image on a glass plate, and a few layers of different colored starches and carbon over it. Then, you press them all together with a lot of pressure and force, and then a varnish is applied to it that makes it light sensitive, and, you know, that's what colors are, just light reflecting off things in different ways, and, therefor, you've got yourself a color image! Between all the developing, washing, bleaching, and fixing, though, it's definitely a lot of work, so let's get started and we'll work through it together!"

Battle Tactics and Strategy; Thursday, Fourth Period [02/15].

[chef_chocobro]

"This week," said Ignis, once everyone had gathered into the classroom, where he was leaning against the desk at the front , "I would like to discuss reconnaissance, and it's importance on accessing both a military battlefield as well as broader intelligence regarding one's enemy's resources, motivations, movements, and other helpful information. This is an incredibly broad topic, but an incredibly important one in securing success in any operation. After all, iterations of 'Know thine enemy' surface in military strategy guides all across the board, and it is often the side which manages to keep its operations under wraps that has the greater advantage in an encounter.

"But how does one go about uncovering their enemy's secrets? How does one go about maintaining their own? That is where reconnaissance will come into place. From scouting an area to sending in spies to recover information, there are a wide variety of methods that we will go over and discuss today, with a focus being heavily on three types: terrain-oriented, force-oriented, and civil-oriented. Or, in other words: learning more about the field in which your battles will take place, what type of enemies you're likely to face, and the general resources and other structural and societal elements that might come into play. We'll discuss various methods of going about obtaining such knowledge, as well as ways of preventing others from obtaining such knowledge from you, with a little discussion on how these can be applied to interactions off the battlefield, as well. We will then engage in a discussion, where I hope you can share your own experiences with reconnaissance, ask questions to improve your understanding of it, and perhaps even engage in a bit of a theater of the mind in setting up scenarios for each other in which we can determine how to best deploy our reconnaissance resources to extract the information we need to know.

"Sounds simple enough, does it not? So let's begin by breaking it down by way of types, starting with a focus on area..."

Your instructor had just returned from nearly a week of relaxation and rumination. You had better believe he was ready to wax intellectual and ramble on about what had always been one of his most engaging aspect of his former occupation...

Library, Thursday 2/15

[noonedecidesmyfate]

There were plenty of romance novels to shelve today when Belle arrived. There was also a new display of murder mysteries which seemed like a very abrupt tonal shift to Belle but who was she to question the whims of the library?

She was more likely to question the whims of the gremlins who were huddled in a corner with a small hoard of snacks in spite of multiple reminders about not eating by the books.

Necromancers Guide to the Undead, Thursday, Period 1

[deathsmajesty]

"Skeletons," Liliana announced as soon as class began, "are obnoxious." Glad she could clear that up for you. Class dismissed.

Haha, yeah not really. "Skeletons are, as most of you can guess I'm sure, creatures made of animated bones. They differ from zombies and mummies in that they are only bone, it is pure necromantic magic that keeps them upright and mobile. That, unfortunately, makes them incredibly hard to kill. On top of that, most skeletons have reanimation, so even the ones you've managed to kill are able to come back and continue to make your life - whatever is left of it - miserable. They are the preferred creature of many a weak or novice necromancer, as they require little in the way of finesse. You simply put together some bones, cast a few spells, and then give some orders and the magic does everything else."

( Long class is, unsurprisingly, long! )

"As a final note, although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren't mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its way through an iron door, a skeleton tries the handle first. If that doesn't work, it searches for another way through or around the obstacle. Bound skeletons are chained to the will of their creator; they follow orders to the letter, never questioning the tasks their masters give them, regardless of the consequences. Because of their literal interpretation of commands and unwavering obedience, skeletons adapt poorly to changing circumstances. They can't read, speak, emote, or communicate in any way except to nod, shake their heads, or point. If you can find ways to ambush, trick, or trap skeletons, that is another worthwhile strategy to pursue."