fandomhigh | Cultural Appreciation, Week X [Wednesday, Periods 4 & 5]

The portal today would spit the students out somewhere warm and sunny: the Magic Kingdom. "If the radio is to be believed, a day away from campus and the chance to run-off some energy is exactly what you all need," Ghanima announced. "I've got sunscreen and waterbottles for all of you, and if park security catches you causing trouble, I will be most displeased. Do not try to disassemble the animatronic creatures."

With this group, sometimes it needed to be said.

"The Walt Disney World Resort, sometimes shortened to Walt Disney World or Disney World, is the world's largest and most visited recreational resort, covering a 30,080-acre (47.00 sq mi; 121.7 km2) area just southwest of Orlando, Florida, USA and encompassing four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels (excluding 8 that are on-site, but not owned by the Walt Disney Company), including a campground, two health spas and fitness centers, and other recreational venues and entertainment. It opened on October 1, 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom theme park and has since added Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. This world famous resort was inspired by the dreams of Walt Disney and his creation of Disneyland in California. Its original theme park, Magic Kingdom, is designed similarly to Disneyland. Walt Disney created "Disney World" in order to have a vacation resort that was much different from Disneyland's one-day visit; this includes a much wider variety of sports, recreation, uniquely-themed resort hotels and entertainment."

"There are several anecdotes relating to reasons for some of the features of Walt Disney World, and Magic Kingdom specifically. According to one story, Walt Disney once saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland at Disneyland. He disliked how the cowboy intruded on the futuristic setting of Tomorrowland and wanted to avoid situations like this in the new park. Therefore, Magic Kingdom was built over a series of tunnels called utilidors, a blend of utility and corridor. These tunnels allow employees to move through the park out of sight from guests, maintaining the illusion of the show. Because of Florida's high water table, the tunnels could not be put underground, so they were built at the existing grade. This means that the park is actually built on the second story, giving Magic Kingdom an elevation of 107 feet, or 33 m. The area around the utilidors was filled in with dirt removed from the Seven Seas Lagoon, which was being constructed at the same time. The utilidors were built in the initial construction and were not extended as the park expanded. The tunnels were only used in Magic Kingdom because of financial constraints, but they were meant to be employed in all subsequent Walt Disney World parks. Epcot's Future World and Pleasure Island each have a smaller network of utilidors."

"Now go run around and have some fun. Your homework is to watch a movie sometime this week done by Disney, to understand the impact one man's dream has had on the culture of a nation."

[OOC up and running!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Which was pretty much precisely why Max had suggested Ghani as someone to talk to. He simply shifted slightly, indicating that he was going to get out of the way while they talked. At least for the moment.

Raven drew in a deep breath. "Last year," she said carefully, "when many of us were transported to the Fandom that was ruled by vampires...I was taken captive by the vampire that was Professor Maximus. He knew I was an empath and used that to torment me with sensation...both pain and pleasure. And the experience has continued to affect me."

Understatement of the year.

"I was there when many of your peers began to wake, it was a traumatic experience for many people," Ghanima agreed, keeping her voice calm. "I take it, then, you continue to have associative disorders with your experience, and have not sought the help of a professional?"

"I have," Raven said to the first part of the question, then was forced to admit, "but I do not understand what sort of professional I would seek out. I have tried to forget and I am usually able to ignore what was done to me, though not always." Which was precisely why she had unconsciously edged away from Max and closer to Ghani.

"In this time period they generally have counselors available, people who specialize in understanding mental turmoil," Ghanima clarified. If she noticed Raven's movements away from Max, she did not comment aloud. "But forgetting and ignoring something is not the same as processing and overcoming the experience, Raven. You will not be at peace with yourself -- or with Professor Maximus -- until you understand the difference."

She couldn't show overt support to Max, not with Raven clearly feeling so vulnerable, but Ghanima was resolved to take him somewhere quiet later, with a good ale, and get his side of all this. Her friend was a deeply private individual, which was why she hadn't pried before, but there was a mess here that needed untangling.

"I visit Professor Skywalker every week," Raven said. Though she hadn't exactly talked to him about this. "I had also spoken to Professor Maximus about what his other self had done, but he was reluctant to help me." Shut up, Max, you were.

She took another breath to try to steady herself so she could stop dancing about the issue. "The experience has left me craving sensation. I am able to ignore it most of the time, but it is always there. I almost surrendered myself entirely to the vampire, and there are times that I wish I had." Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. She hadn't intended to say that; she'd never said that to anyone.

"With all due respect to Master Skywalker, his Order preaches the purging of emotion, not the balance of it," Ghanima replied. "Sensation is a part of human life, it is natural to crave more. What makes us human is the ability how we chose to act on those impulses."

"I am not human," Raven said, eyes on the ground. "I am a demon. And I possess the ability to rip the feelings I crave out of others and take them for myself. And I have been sorely tempted. It is getting harder and harder to resist. It does not matter of it is pleasure or pain -- they are almost the same to me now. It is the intensity I desire."

Ghanima reached out to lift Raven's face and bring her eyes up. "Raven, many of us have terrifying abilities that are difficult to harness. Every day, I run the risk of falling to Possession by one of the many tau within me, but I cannot and will not allow that risk to ruin my life."

"But you are just as human as I am, or any of the other students here."

"I do not want my fears to rule my life," Raven said, her eyes darting to Max before she looked back up at Ghanima. "Nor do I wish my hungers to do so. I wish I could just make them go away."

"Fear is manageable," Ghanima replied. "As are hungers. They will never go away, to remove them is to make yourself a machine, and that would not make you happy."

"I can assist with both, but it's going to require you to do a great deal of work, and much honesty with yourself and me."

"I always do my best to be honest," Raven said. From a certain point of view. She never outright lied, she considered that wrong, but she did dance around the truth sometimes. "What sort of work would you require?"

"Mental exercises, meditation, physical exercises," she stated. "The same techniques that I have used with Reno and Merlin, and Karla will soon be starting similar lessons."

"I am quite familiar with meditation," Raven said. "I do so every day, perhaps excessively so since my return from Kaeleer." Augh. Stupid island.

"Perhaps it might be worth discussing the details of your meditation with Lady Ghanima," Max suggested. "She might have some advice that would be helpful." Because if Raven was meditating on a regular basis and still, well, like this, then maybe she was doing something wrong.

It wasn't like Max would know. He totally didn't meditate himself.

Raven would have been quite upset if she knew what Max was thinking, since she'd been trained in meditation since she was old enough to understand. "I turn my Soul-Self outward sometimes, and send it flying over the island, but mainly I look inward, into the netherverse, as I was taught," she explained.

Cultural Appreciation, Week X [Wednesday, Periods 4 & 5]

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