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

"YOU are adorable," Squall agreed with a grimace. "But the hat is just silly looking. There are plenty of prettier girls here wearing those hats, and they don't look good in them, either."

Rilla's lower lip started trembling. "There are plenty of prettier girls here too? I'm so tired of not being the prettiest!"

"It's pointless to cry about something you can't change," Squall pointed out. "Besides, the prettiest people are usually incredibly annoying about it. I don't like them."

"But it's all that I have!" Rilla said. "I'm not nearly as clever as my sisters!"

"Have you tried learning a trade?" Squall asked. "Or taking up art? If you just sit around moping, you'll never be better than them at anything." He shrugged. "You don't have to be better than them, anyway. Lots of people are perfectly fine with being mediocre."

"I don't mind being mediocre as long as I'm pretty and fun," Rilla said. "I'm one of the doctor's daughters--I'm not going to work in a shop."

It was strange to grow up in 1913.

Squall curled his lip in disgust. "Seriously? Don't you have any pride? If you live like that, no one will have any respect for you."

No, wait, that was a lie.

"No one whose opinion is worth anything, anyway."

No, wait. Still a lie.

"No one who I think has an opinion worth anything. You might be perfectly fine with their opinion, but then I wouldn't respect you."

"Then you're mean," Rilla declared, sniffling. "I don't want to do anything serious."

"I am mean," Squall agreed. "It's easier than letting myself care about people." He glared at her. "If you don't want to do anything serious, then don't. I can't stop you. I don't have any respect for that choice, though, because I don't understand why anyone would make it."

"I go home to 1913," Rilla said, "where women can't vote and you either teach or nurse or get married and have children. Those are the options. I intend to have as much fun as I can before I have to get married."

"Those aren't the ONLY options," Squall countered. "Just the ones you're choosing to accept. If you stop caring about what other people think, there are a lot more things open to you."

Rilla scoffed at him. "Like what?" she demanded.

"Well, you don't have to go back there," Squall pointed out. "Stay in this time, where things don't suck. Or you could... go live in the woods. Open a store. Be an actress. Whatever. What's wrong with teaching and nursing? I mean, I don't want to do them, either, but they ARE really important professions."

"I don't want to do them," Rilla said. "I'm the youngest of six. Every one of them is either a teacher or studying medicine."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. So don't do them. Pick a class you've enjoyed and do something related to THAT for the rest of your life. What do you WANT to do?"

"I don't know," Rilla said. "I'm fourteen. I don't have to know yet, do I? Everyone else seems to know!"

"No, you don't. You still have time to figure it out. I just think deciding to do nothing is a worthless choice."

"I like nothing," Rilla said stubbornly.

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

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