5 Times Urza Ruined Everything, Thursday, Per 1

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana was once again leaning against the front of her desk; hardly the position when one wanted to command the respect and attention due a professor, but this barely counted as a class. It was more a vehicle for her ranting, with the very thin sheen of 'history' to make it seem like a credible academic topic. So she was just going to lean, sipping her heavily honeyed tea that Ignis had provided her to soothe her throat after her generally long lectures, waiting until the clock ticked over to nine. As soon as it did so, she began today's...discussion, sure.

"Officially, the war between Yotia and the Fallaji is called the Antiquities War; however, since the war was actually between Urza and Mishra and they were using the armies of both countries like little toy soldiers, it is more commonly known as the Brothers' War. And by 'more commonly known,' I mean that if you ask someone what the Antiquities War was, the more scholarly and educated would eventually remember what you're referring to. If you ask damn near anyone on Dominaria what the Brothers' War was, even the most illiterate peasant could tell you, probably after spitting first. That's because the effects of the war impacted the entire plane, both in its immediate aftermath and for centuries - millennia, really - later. The war itself lasted from 28 AR to 64 AR, when Urza ended it in a truly spectacular and definitive fashion that we'll be discussing next week."

( So much ranting and ecological devastation behind this cut! )

Now she settled back to open the floor to any questions and comments folks might have, especially after throwing concepts like 'Worldsoul' and 'Maro-Sorcerer' out there.

The Wonderful World of Pizza, Tuesday Second Period

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Okay, guys," Raiden greeted his class once they had assembled at Portalocity and he'd fired off a text to Arden promising her a make-up pizza when she wasn't a bird any more. You know, very normal teacher concerns. "Today, we're following pizza in its journey to the United States, which is where it really took off. You see, Italian immigrants brought their food with them to the US, but like many immigrant groups they not only had to adapt to the ingredients available here, they had access to a wider range of ingredients, so they could do all sorts of new and interesting things. Specifically for our case, Sicilian immigrants from southern Italy had more access to meat and cheese, ingredients that were scarcer and more expensive in their seafood-rich region but plentiful in northern Italy. So don't listen to anyone who ever starts snitting at you about 'authentic' food, because it's a scam. Does the food taste good? Yes? Then who cares if it's authentic? No? Then it doesn't matter if it's authentic. Case closed. But I'm wandering off the point.

"One of the things these Italian immigrants brought with them was, you guessed it, pizza, and in New York is where it really started to take off. I'm not about to start an argument about which is the best kind of pizza--they're all winners to me--but New Yorkers get really heated about it. They favor a thin-crust pizza sold in large slices people like to fold. It's a thing. Today we're going to Harlem to try out Patsy's, opened in 1933 by Pasquale Lanceri and recently featured in a hit movie. A bunch of these old New York pizzerias have their own individual claims to fame, and Patsy's is that they claim to have been the first to sell pizza by the slice. The first in New York, maybe, but remember, that's how pizza was originally sold in those open-air stands in Naples. Ah, but that doesn't matter. C'mon, let's go try some pizza and explore Spanish Harlem.

Finding (More) New Hobbies, Thursday Period 2

[stykera]

Class today was 100% on time and nobody would dare suggest otherwise, right? Right.

Stark stood at the front of the room, looking out at anyone who was there. “Welcome back. A new thing to try this week, since that’s the whole idea, will not be kickball because Anakin is a ridiculous person. There will also be no slip and slides and no giant costumes. Just in case anyone was worried.”

“Instead, we’re going to try out something I’ve done before and that’s related to one of my favorite things to do. Baking.” Not like that. Well, not like that alone.

“Today we’ll do some cookie decorating. The nice thing about food hobbies is you can eat the results. So I have sugar cookies, which are safe for Steven to eat don’t worry, in a variety of shapes, and then I have royal icing and all manner of sprinkle-type-things to add to them. You can be as fancy or as plain as you like. Have fun with it. If you mess up…it’s still tasty. Just eat the cookie and nobody will know! So, come pick up a cookie, or multiple cookies from the trays, grab some supplies, and decorate. Have fun. No need to try for perfection. Just enjoy it.”

Library, Thursday 7/17

[noonedecidesmyfate]

The library was still a mess when Belle arrived for her shift. Luckily she was prepared, having listened to radio.

She had snacks to bribe some gremlins with in an attempt to get them to help and she had stickers to hand out if they did help, as a reward. Who didn't love stickers, right?

Apparently, a lot of gremlins didn't love stickers. Tiny jerks.

Belle was going to be doing a lot of straightening up herself today with only the occasional help from one or two particularly pleasant gremlins/