fandomhigh | Recent Entries

They were in the classroom again, where the desks were pushed together with a bunch of supplies in the middle for people to use.

"Today we're making bath bombs," Kitty announced. "Which are different than glitter bombs in that they're contained, and not weaponry. You just put them in the tub and relax. I have a recipe here, you can use whatever supplies but maybe don't go too heavy on fragrance."

How were you supposed to get the glitter of your skin and tub? Details.

good_for_six

Your teachers were here this week. Twice in a row, even.

"They say that writers should focus on the three 'r's." Well, that was an interesting moment of deja vu. "But given that when we looked them up, only one of them starts with that letter, that's arguably dubious advice."

"In any case, you could probably all do with a movie," Aphra, who seemed exceedingly pleased with herself, said. "I know I could."

Were certain people taking advantage of the date to get out of coming up with a different lesson? Quite possibly.

sith_happened

"This is an ethics class," Anakin said, "and there are new technologies on this planet that take some serious thought before you use them."

"Not least because they pose a serious insult to a number of old friends of ours who are actual artificial intelligences," Asohka added.

"Threepio would never behave like this," Anakin agreed. "From not knowing the number of r's in strawberry to making up legal precedents to win an argument, this current version of artificial intelligence is a solution to a problem no one really had. However, no one actually wants to write cover letters. So argue both sides for us: how could you ethically use artificial intelligence? Is it even possible?"

carbsliftthespirit

Raiden was late today, because he had only just realized it was Tuesday.

Actually, he had walked into Pizza Planet thinking it was Monday and been greeted with, "Uh...don't you have a class right now?" It was fine. Everything was fine.

"Hey, so, your assignment for today is to put together a meal from whatever ~~handwavily~~ is in the fridge and cabinets at your station, and then explain to me why it's acceptable. It's, uh, a practical application or whatever. Go!"

Nailed it.

throughaphase

Today was kind of a twofer, in that upon getting to class today, each student would have a photo taken of their hand. No explanation. Trust the process.

And then it was off to the backyard simulation, where they got to stand behind a velvet rope, with a wall about twenty feet in front of them. Atop that wall: a long line of rubber ducks.

Knock over all of the rubber ducks. You must stay behind the rope. No powers allowed. Fastest wins.

sharp_man

This week, the class had received handwavy e-mail messages to meet at Portalocity. When they got there, Hannibal greeted them and handed them each a list of fruits and vegetables. "I have this as a spreadsheet online if you would like, but sometimes paper is easier." Also, he was old. "Today, we will be covering selecting good produce. The first lesson to buying decent fruits and vegetables is, whenever possible, to buy things which are organic, grown locally, and currently in season. It's healthier and tastes much better. That said, I realize that you may not always have that option. There are some foods that buying organic is more important for than others, due to the amount of chemicals they retain or the types used."

He nodded at the paper. "In addition, as you will see, there are certain times in Baltimore during which very little is in season. Therefore, we will be traveling to Baltimore in August, so as to actually find something more than apples and mushrooms."

He held up the list. "I've included some simple reminders about how to choose the best of each; I will go into more detail once we arrive, and feel free to take notes. As our class activity today, instead of cooking, you will be choosing your own produce to bring back from a local farmers' market. At this particular market, most things are grown organically, and should be marked as such. Stay close and pay attention while I orient you, and then find the produce I assign."

He smirked. "It's in your best interest to perform well; once you've completed the assignment, you are welcome to relax in the August weather. If you need help, I will be pleased to answer any questions. You may also ask the farmers, of course."

He waited to see if there were any current questions, then nodded them through the portal.

"I would like you each to pick out one head of spinach, one bunch of grapes, one eggplant, several tomatoes, a few onions, several apples, a couple of parsnips, and one other item of your choice."

When you've all chosen your produce, Hannibal will grade you on your choices, and then you can all relax in the August sun!

He'll let you taste what you chose, what he chose, and some of the same items of produce he picked at random from the non-organic, non-local supermarket. (Feel free to not taste a difference and make him feel sorry for you!)

intheeyeofthebeholding

Class today had been asked to meet at City Hall, where Jon met them looking a little extra rumpled. And possibly with a bite out of one sleeve.

"Hello." Jon looked around suspiciously. "Right. Well, if we have no more interruptions from certain parties this week, we can continue with class. One technique that is supposed to help with focus is organization. Obviously, organizing your own things is the idea, but I thought we could hone our techniques by helping out here first."

He led them to a little antechamber outside the basement where he'd put a number of boxes on old tables. "Part of organizing is also taking things in small bites," he paused to wince at his sleeve, "so we're not tackling the entire set of files, just a few of them."

Also, Jesse had vetoed students going into the basement for reasons Jon now understood. Honestly, he had had a bit of a flashback to the archives for a moment, which was pleasant for nobody.

"So, let's try some of our focus techniques - listen to music, do a little at a time, meditate in breaks, whatever you like - and let's see how many files we can organize."

stykera

“Welcome to another week of cupcakes,” Stark said. “Today’s cupcakes come from Ukraine. Which is…here, on the map.” He pointed to where he’d added another little cupcake sticker on the map.

“These cupcakes are full of honey in the cake and in the frosting. They're like some cakes also from Ukraine. I have a recipe for those as well, if anyone is interested. There won't be enough time today but i may try to make one another time…”

“Does anyone have anything to add about Ukraine or the recipes or anything else or shall we get to baking?”

ifwebeworthy

Today, the Danger Shop was set up as an archery range, and Thor greeted his students by telling them, "The benefit of ranged weaponry is, of course, that you can use it from a distance. You are far safer from your attacker if you are not close enough for them to punch or stab you. In the modern era, the most common form of ranged weapon is the firearm, which is artless." So there, guns.

"We will begin with the traditional longbow," Thor decreed, and proceeded to demonstrate to his students how to string a bow, draw, aim, and fire. "Now you try. Remember, if you manage to shoot yourself in the foot, you will not be harmed, but points will be deducted."

imafuturist

There were two dogs--a Husky and a corgi--in class with Steve. Tony was still in negotiations with Fee outside.

(Fee was winning.)

"Go ahead, I'll be right in!" Tony called through the door, trying his best to convince the dog she should come inside and join them for the lesson. It was not working at all.

"She'll be okay with treats, right?" Steve called back as the two other dogs perked their ears up.

"Maybe?"

Were the little costumes at the front of the class a hint as to what was happening here? Maybe.

"Sometimes, even though animals normally don't need clothing," Steve said, "your pets might need a different layer of protection from the elements of it's cold or wet or the sidewalks are full of salt."

"Or a rain coat when it's particularly wet out!" Tony called, carefully leading Fee in with a treat. "But it can be a struggle for them to cooperate. Except Patty. He loves the goggles because he gets to fly then."

Flying corgis were very normal in the Rogers-Stark home. "Today you have to get them all into doggy booties before running through the obstacle course."

ifwebeworthy

"Okay," Don said with a heavy sigh. "I guess we should talk about Odin." He said 'Odin' like it meant 'that asshole' for some mysterious reason. "Again, not any particular Odin any of us may know or have an opinion on. Mythological Odin." Because the concept of Odin couldn't hurt anyone, or at least that was what Don was telling himself.

"Now, Odin is the ruler of the Aesir, and thus of Asgard, and is considered a god of war, poetry, and the dead, which are pretty disparate things to be a god of. Where I'm from, most gods get one thing, and that's...their thing. It's hard to explain. But Odin, he wears a lot of hats. He's known for going on quests for mystic wisdom: on one occasion, he traded one of his eyes for wisdom; on another, he sacrificed himself to himself by hanging for nine days on the world tree Yggdrasil. Because of this, he's also a god of mystics. Because of his willingness to work outside the norms, he's a god of outlaws. A lot of hats. Not a lot of concern for how he's perceived by others. Not a lot like the guy I knew.

"According to the sources I was able to access, Odin is known as the Allfather because most of the gods are descended from him in some way, which is...not why he was called that where I was from, but whatever. Odin. Discuss." Or don't. If no one wanted to talk about Odin Don was fine with that.

needsacatchphrase

"So, there's a DVD stuck in the player," Jane said like that was a perfectly normal thing to have happen. And here it might be! It just might be.

"Guess that's what we'll be watching then." A responsible teacher might have tried to check what movie it was before saying that, but Cara would argue making her a teacher proved that horse had well and truly left the barn.

"Let's just make the best of it!" Jane was a professional. She had a PhD and everything. And this is what she was doing right here.

Teaching was their passion

throughaphase

Kitty had had this one in the barrel since the beginning of the semester and was just holding it for a bad day. She was sort of proud, actually.

And here she was, wheeling out the TV. "All right, kids," she began. "Today we're going to watch the movie Glitter. So have fun with that till the end of class."

It was terrible. So bad.

jedigrammarians

Your teachers were here this week. Yay.

"They say that writers should focus on the three 'r's." Isabela couldn't tell you who they were, or why they said that. "But given that when we looked them up, only one of them starts with that letter, that's argumably dubious advice."

Besides the three 'g's were more their speed.

"In any case, you could probably all do with a movie," Aphra said. "I know I could."

No, they weren't even going to try and justify it this week. That was the joy of setting our own lesson plans.

sith_happened

The classroom today was filled with beds, tempting books, and junk food. (Don’t tell Rory that Anakin had borrowed her stuff.)

“Sometimes ethical questions are life or death,” Anakin said, “and sometimes they are things like, ‘Do I lie and say I'm sick when I'm really just comfortable?”

"Despite, what some people say there's nothing inherently wrong with remembering to stop and take care of yourself when needed," Ahsoka added. "The issue can lie with figuring out what counts as needed."

Anakin, trained as he had been by the Walk it Off School of Jedi Training, look puzzled. "Like if you've lost a limb," he said. "Take a day or even two "

"Or possibly even three," Ahsoka said dryly, because with age had come some recognition that Anakin and Master Kenobi had a few blindspots.

"But none of you have lost a limb in this scenario," Anakin said, "you just don't want to get out of bed. Call us nd convince us you're sick." He smiled. "Or get out of bed like productive members of society."

carbsliftthespirit

"I forget what we've done so far," Raiden, notoriously terrible of memory, admitted cheerfully, "so I don't remember if we did soup or not yet. So we're doing soup this week.

"Now, the thing about soup is you don't need a recipe. You can use a recipe! But even then you can follow it loosely. Use what you have, try to make sure the flavors don't clash in a weird way, and you're golden. You can't mess it up. The basic rule is that you're going to want some kind of fat, some aromatics--garlic, onion, ginger maybe--some vegetables and maybe some meat, and broth. Or...water. I can't stop you. But broth is better! You don't even have to make your own broth! They sell it in cartons at the grocery store now, it's amazing. So you put your fat--oil, butter, bacon grease, whatever floats your boat--in your pot, you cook your aromatics and then your vegetables and maybe meat in it, you add broth until it looks like soup, you maybe throw in a bay leaf, you let it simmer for a while, and ta-da! Soup! I'd say it's foolproof, but then they'll invent a better fool, so uh, be smarter than that? I don't know. Anyway, let's make soup. Think about your favorite kind of soup, and then find a recipe for it, or just try to figure it out on your own. Sometimes that's more fun."

throughaphase

When everyone got to their simulation today, they'd find Kitty standing there with a very basic task.

Make the biggest circle. No powers allowed.

See? Simple.

sharp_man

Class was back in the Danger Shop today, and it was once again set up with cooking stations. "Good morning," Hannibal said once they were both there. "Last week, we learned about cuts of meat, and we have already discussed the importance of a good knife."

He picked up one of his own knives. "But there are techniques to using them. It is more complicated and elegant than simply hitting things with them. The key is control of your tools, something that will come into play in a future class."

~~Hannibal playing with knives~~
Cutting Techniques

"This week, we'll cover mincing, dicing, chopping, slicing, and julienning, among other things. There are many different types of cuts. They can help add interest to food's appearance, and are also important to ensure everything cooks at the proper rate. If you have different sized pieces of the same type of food, you'll end up with some of it overdone and some of it underdone." Don't do that, kids.

He gestured for them to join him up front to watch. "We will start with proper technique, as I'd prefer neither of you lose a finger." He went over the different grips and cutting techniques, demonstrating them.

"When cutting meat, you should always cut against the grain. Cutting the wrong way is a common error that can ruin a good meal." He showed them a rare piece of steak. "Meat is muscle fibers. Muscles travel in a specific direction; like wood, they have a grain." He showed them the long side of the meat.

"Because they're designed for strength, pulling muscle with the grain - or chewing it - is very difficult." He sliced a bit with the grain and tugged on it to show them. "So, when you're slicing meat, you should always cut in the other direction." He did a bit of that. "This makes it much more tender." He pulled that piece apart fairly easily.

"You all have various vegetables and some meat at your stations. Today you'll be making a vegetable beef soup to practice different cuts. Pay attention to the size each vegetable should be, or they won't all finish at the same time. And please watch how you cut your meat."

He nodded for them to begin.

intheeyeofthebeholding

"Good morning," Jon began a little blearily. "Today I thought we -"

He was interrupted by loud chittering.

"No, Leroy, this is not a class about you. Although honestly I'm astonished it took you this long to attempt a takeover."

Leroy hopped up on the desk and waved a tiny glass at him.

"Yes, I expect that would take precedence. However -"

Leroy began drunkenly singing off-key.

Jon rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Apparently today we are covering music. Loosely defined. Once he's done, please share your own. You don't have to sing it yourself; that's what phones are for."

stykera

“Canada today,” Stark said. “It’s nearby.” Well, relatively. “See, here on the map.”

“I have two recipes, and examples from each, to try out today. I have cupcakes that taste like Nanaimo Bars and I have maple cupcakes as well because maple trees and maple syrup and everything maple is popular in Canada.” Stark paused. “It’s popular here too. Because it’s delicious. Very good with things like waffles and pancakes and good as a coffee flavor too…”

“Oh, and I brought actual Nanaimo bars from JGoB as well. So you can compare. Decide how well the cupcake represents the dessert it’s meant to mimic. Nanaimo bars aren’t actually baked so they won’t be exactly the same but I think the cupcakes are delicious and so are the bars.”

“So…as always, let’s get started?"

imafuturist

The class was outside today. Because why not take advantage of nice weather while you can in the spring? Also, the dogs were going insane being cooped up. Absolutely insane.

"Today we'll be testing out the smelling capabilities of the dogs with you all," Tony said. "See if they have any skill there to keep training."

"Patriot is great at finding this to smell--" and then roll in, but details, "--but has difficulty moving on once he finds something that catches his attention," Steve said.

"And the other two mostly just want to always be running." These were the dogs they picked. "But we're sure you all can keep them on task!"

The entire history of those two dogs notwithstanding, of course.

"It'll be fun!" Steve said optimistically.

ifwebeworthy

"Most of you," Don began today's class, "have probably heard of Ragnarok, the 'twilight of the gods,' the prophesied end of the world in Norse mythology. Again, this class will deal with the myth, not...what may or may not have happened in any particular real world." He'd been dead then anyway.

Don passed around a handout detailing the story of Ragnarok. "The myth-slash-prophecy is very detailed, even including things like how many steps Thor will take before he falls down and dies--nine, if you're wondering. It is also, in some ways, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fenris--excuse me, Fenrir--is maybe the best example of this. In response to the prophecy of Ragnarok saying that the wolf Fenrir would swallow the sun and Odin himself, Odin bound Fenrir in enchanted chains. Now, the prophecy says that those chains will snap at Ragnarok, so the wolf always had to be chained, but also, does this treatment contribute to Fenrir being like, 'Fuck it, I'll just eat the sun then'? If Fenrir had not been chained, and thus one of the conditions of the prophecy left unmet, could Ragnarok be avoided? Discuss."

wrongkindofsith

Well, the classroom might have had a few more blankets than normal, but it wasn't too different in honor of the movie theme this week. Maybe the sleep masks were pushing it, though.

"So, today is a romance movie. Kind of." Jane had some concerns about it.

"One built on lies, deception, and fear of being alone," Cara, you were making it sound much more exciting than it actually was.

"And very ridiculous misunderstandings," Jane added. "But its still a good movie."

Which made for a change in this class.

"In any case, settle in and enjoy."

deathsmajesty

Well, the nature people would be thrilled with today's location. Stepping into the Danger Shop, they would find themselves standing near a truly mammoth tree, taller and more vast than any mere redwood could ever hope to be. It was a living skyscraper, easily taking up several city blocks' worth of space. Buildings shaped from the living wood nestled in its huge, curving branches, connected by an intricate network of hanging bridges and ladders. Through the giant double doors leading into the trunk, they could spot a cathedral to nature, made of living wood, with large windows to let in the golden light.

"Welcome to Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree," Liliana said, sounding distinctly unimpressed. "The Guildhall of the Selesnya Conclave, one of the Ravnican Guilds. Selesnya describes itself as 'selfless, nurturing, spiritual group.' Other people describe it as a 'brainwashing nature cult.' Who's to say who's right?"

Bet you can guess which description your teacher ascribed to.

( Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of community. --Selesnya Conclave )

They do have their differences, however. Green's other ally is red and white's other ally is blue, which makes their conflict one of head versus heart. Green believes that each individual is born into its role in life complete with the attributes it needs to accomplish its task. This means the key to success is to act on one's instincts. White believes that the true purpose of each individual is to contribute to the welfare of the group. To accomplish this, one must override their impulses and instead use their intellect to figure out how best contribute. In white, green sees a color that constricts growth with petty laws; it constrains and limits. In green, white sees a color too wild for its own good, and too reliant on violence to solve its problems. Green/White's biggest internal conflict revolves around enforcing its beliefs. It wants to grow its cause but isn't always willing to take the action necessary to do so. The pairing of green/white is often very, very slow...but when given the time and space it requires, it can easily become an unstoppable juggernaut--which isn't always the best thing for anyone else around.

talentforlying

"Today, we're going to talk one of the biggest scams of all time - real estate," John stated grandly as class got started. "It's a fucking swindle in most countries even when done above the board, which means it's ridiculously easy to do it even when you haven't got a cigarette to sell."

"George Parker was one of the most audacious con men in American history. He made his living selling New York's public landmarks to unwary tourists. His favorite object for sale was the Brooklyn Bridge, which he sold twice a week for years. He convinced his marks that they could make a fortune by controlling access to the roadway. More than once police had to roust naive buyers from the bridge as they tried to erect toll barriers. Other public landmarks he sold included the original Madison Square Garden, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grant's Tomb and the Statue of Liberty."

"Now, George had many different methods for making his sales. When he sold Grant's Tomb, he would often pose as the general's grandson. He even set up a fake 'office' to handle his real estate swindles. He produced impressive forged documents as evidence to suggest that he was the legal owner of whatever property he was selling. He also successfully sold several successful shows and plays, of which he had no legal ownership."

"Parker was convicted of fraud three times. After his third conviction on December 17, 1928 he was sentenced to a life term at Sing Sing Prison by a Judge McLaughlin in the Kings County Court and he spent the last eight years of his life there incarcerated."

"Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, better known as Natwarlal, was a noted Indian con man known for having repeatedly "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan and also the Parliament House of India along with its 545 sitting members. Now that takes talent," John sighed, envious. "By profession he was a lawyer before he turned into a conman, which you could say are the same thing."

"He used more than 50 aliases, was a master of disguises and used novel ideas to cheat and was master in forging signatures of famous personalities. He is also said to have cheated number of industrialists including Birlas and Dhirubhai Ambani taking from them huge money in cash, posing as social worker or needy person. Also he had duped many shop-owners with lakhs of rupees, paying them by cheque and demand drafts, which were later found to be forged."

"Natwarlal was arrested several times, but was last seen by authorities on June 24, 1996; when the wheelchair-using octogenarian vanished while being transported from prison to a hospital for treatment. He disappeared at New Delhi railway station, when he was being taken to AIIMS, under police escort from Kanpur jail for treatment, after which he was never seen by anyone. He was 84 years of age at that time. In 2009, his lawyer requested that 100 charges pending against Natwarlal be dropped claiming that Natwarlal died on July 25; however, Natwarlal's brother, Ganga Prasad Srivastava, subsequently claimed to have cremated him in 1996. No one knows which claim is true."

"So here's your assignment. Pick a landmark from the island, then try to sell it to your classmates. Let's see what you can come up with."

afraid_of_marshmallows

Oh it was definitely springtime. Books about flowers and gardens were all over the library today, angled to show off their illustrations to best advantage. There were several papercraft books out, too, creating lovely origami flowers to decorate the library with.

Sometimes they were a little overzealous and other books needed to be rescued from being folded into a bouquet of paper roses, but Arden managed to grab a bunch of paper from the printer instead.

Uh. Hope nobody was planning on printing anything today.

carbsliftthespirit

Raiden was, of course, wearing green today, because he didn't like being pinched. "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" he greeted his class. "For those of you who might not know, St. Patrick's Day honors the patron saint of Ireland in the Catholic religion, but even those who aren't Catholic or Irish can celebrate, because who doesn't love a themed holiday with lots of drinking?

"In America, with its large Irish immigrant population, the traditional foods of St. Patrick's Day include beer, green beer, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread. I figure you can all put green food coloring in beer on your own time, so let's learn to make the others. Corned beef and cabbage is great to put in your slow cooker: you're basically going to throw everything in and forget it all day, then enjoy a delicious dinner. Let's cut up some vegetables!" Once that was done, Raiden moved on to, "Yes, we're making bread today. It's soda bread, which means it's a quick bread! You don't have to wait around on yeast! So follow along with me as we make the recipe, and I promise we'll get there.

"And there you have it! A delicious Irish-American feast really isn't that hard, and what you do to your beer is between you and your God. Any questions?"

throughaphase

When the students got to their personal simulations today, they were outdoors, with a red balloon hanging from an arch a distance away. There was a red velvet rope to stand behind, and next to it, a Kitty standing with a table full of supplies and a task.

Pop the balloon. You must stay behind the rope at all times. You may not move the rope. You may buy the tools you need with time. You must not use powers. Fastest wins. Your time starts when Kitty has shown you all the tools in her tool shop.

ifwebeworthy

Today, the students would find...a rack of hammers.

"Fear not," Thor assured them. "You will not be judged on technique." At least not out loud. "Today is merely about familiarizing yourself with another form of weaponry. That it is my preferred weapon is irrelevant." Uh-huh. "We have a variety of options here, from true warhammers to smaller mallets, as a warhammer is quite heavy. You will note that my Mjolnir looks somewhat different from any of these; that is because it was forged with a shorter handle than is typical. If you would like to know the reason, perhaps you should ask Dr. Blake." Thor smiled, wry. "Norse mythology is his field of expertise this semester, I believe. So. Find a hammer that feels good to you and take a few swings at the practice dummies. See what you can learn by doing, and I will aid you as I can."

heroic_jawline

"As we learned last week, weather and exuberant dogs are a muddy disaster," Steve said, "and with breeds this smart, sometimes getting them to focus and stay still enough to wash them off can be more strenuous than any obstacle you run through."

Thus the obstacle course made of everyday items behind them. "The bathtub's in the middle. Of the three dogs, none of them love it. They will go in three different directions when they hear that 'b' word."

"Which means we have to be creative with it," Tony said. "Strategic. Also, use the help available. Meaning all of you. I'm not sorry at all."

Steve shot him an affectionate grin. "Of course you're not. Fastest student to get one of the dogs into the bathtub wins. Ready...go!"

stykera

“This week I wanted to find cupcakes from another planet in some universe,” Stark said. “But I haven’t found a recipe yet that I will think will work here.” Some of them were likely extremely toxic to humans. Maybe to Baniks as well. Stark didn’t really want to test that out just yet.

“So instead I’ve decided to have a movie day. TV day, really. It’s an episode of a show I used to watch here, called Cupcake Wars. This episode was about space. A space shuttle, which they used to have on this world but they don’t anymore, I don’t think, but they weren’t like ships where I’m from…right. So. They had to make cupcakes themed for space. And also for the United States and Russia because they have the most people who’ve gone to space from here, I think.”

Stark sighed softly. “One of the cupcakes are made from borscht. I haven’t made one of those but I do have some of the peanut butter ones.”

No borscht. Frightening cupcakes were for other classes, not this one.

“So, please feel free to eat. I have the recipes from the episode if you want to try making any of them another time. Or just to look at. For now…just enjoy the episode of the show?”

noonedecidesmyfate

There was a cart marked WEEDED near the circulation desk. Belle wasn't sure where it had come from. She didn't recognize any of the books on it either, or the towering stack of books between 2 gremlins at a table.

They were gleefully crossing out barcodes and adding red DISCARDED stamps to the books before tossing them at the cart.

Belle hoped the books were meant to be added but if they weren't that was certainly something best dealt with by the librarian himself rather than by her.

ifwebeworthy

"Okay," Don said with great reluctance, "let's talk about Loki." ( Did they have to? )

needsacatchphrase

Well, the class was set up for a cozy movie day once again. Because that was the class.

"So, spring weather is a bit crazy," Jane said with a helpless shrug.

"Doubly so in this place," Cara added dryly.

"So, we're going with a movie to help with that!" No, not Sharknado. Not again.

No sharks in this one. Just cows.

deathsmajesty

Once again, class found themselves on a long bridge, staring down, down, down into the depths. However, this bridge wasn't built among the clouds, but instead at ground level, arching over a massive gorge carved deep within the earth. Carved into the sheer cliff walls are clusters of buildings interspersed with the excavated faces of truly enormous stone statues. Beneath the steady stone bridge they were standing upon, the area beneath them crisscrossed by other rope and slat bridges that ran the gamut from 'serviceable' to 'visibly treacherous.'

"Welcome to Lorehold, one of the four Colleges that make up my alma mater, Strixhaven University," she said. "I graduated from Witherbloom, the College that pairs black and green together, but we're visiting Lorehold to continue our exploration of white mana pairings, this one, red and white."

( Practice compassion and mercy. But know when they must end.--Boros Legion )

"White/red's other major failstate is that the line between conviction and zealotry is thin--thinner than most people think. And you often do not know that you've crossed it until you are very, very far down the other side. White/red is one of the pairings best suited for committing atrocities. A man doing evil in the name of good often will not stop because he truly believes his actions are not only justified, but righteous. In Ravnica, the Boros Legion is the Guild that is centered in white/red, and they are the plane's police force. In theory, they exist to keep people safe, to protect those who need it, but the Legion is made up of people, and even ignoring those who corrupt the badge, even those who truly believe can let themselves get swept away by the idea that because their aims are good, so are their methods, and thus everything is permitted when it comes to carrying out those aims, and they are infallible when it comes to deciding what is necessary." That's right, Liliana said ACAB. "White/red is also the color of wrath, the kind of single-minded fury that can blind them to anything else until it has run its course."

talentforlying

Class met in the Danger Shop today, which was modified to resemble a pool hall.

"Welcome to the unofficial Land of the Hustle," Constantine proclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "Today, we're learning how to shoot pool and take the money of idiots with more money than sense."

"Pool hustlers use deception and misdirection in order to win cash from inexperienced players -- or from skilled players inexperienced with the world of hustling. Now, there's a few different options for a skilled hustler, and some things to watch out for if you don't want to end up the wrong side of the bet."

"A hustler will usually play with a low-quality 'house' cue stick provided by the pool hall, or an unadorned but high-quality personal cue that looks like one, known as a 'sneaky pete.' Or, with the nascence of local competitive league play in recent years, may play with a flashy-looking but evidently low-end personal cue, to give the impression that the hustler is a beginning league player. They will typically play a game or two for 'fun' or for low bets -- a beer or equivalent amount of cash -- in order to check out the opponent and give the impression that money can easily be won, often losing on purpose with the intent of winning a much larger wager later against a predictably overconfident opponent. This is known as sandbagging or dumping."

"They will pocket some difficult and impressive shots or make surprisingly secure safety shots, the ones crucial for winning, while missing many simple ones, thus making early victories appear to be sheer luck and may pretend to be intoxicated, unintelligent, or otherwise impaired. When betting on trick shots, they may intentionally miss the first or several times and lose a small amount, then raise the bet to an amount well beyond the loss and succeed at the well-practiced feat."

"Many of these ploys can easily be mistaken for the honest faults of a less-than-exceptional player. The engendered doubt and uncertainty is what allows hustling to succeed, with the 'mistakes' ceasing when a significant amount of money is at stake."

"Americans are partial to Eight-ball, so we'll start with that," he said, ~~handwavily~~ going over the rules. "So grab a partner, and work on your game."

good_for_six

The projector was set up in the classroom today, which could only mean one thing.

"Creative writing actually take many forms," Aphra told the class as she looked for the remote, which you'd think she wouldn't have lost track of in five minutes, but you'd be surprised.

"I'm extremely fond of dirty limericks myself," Isabela said, surprising absolutely no one. "Which is why we'll be watching a film about a famous poet."

knightinshinarmor

Gambit was, in fact, absolutely late getting to class today.

"Right," he said, not missing a beat as he strode across the otherwise unprogrammed room and hit some buttons. A movie theater appeared around them, with a little cliche popcorn bucket and soda cup dancing on the screen. "Movie day. Have fun. Try not to learn anything stupid."

He was such a good teacher. No really!

sith_happened

Your teachers were no where to be found at the time class was scheduled to begin.

Yes, your Ethics teachers were checking to see how long you'd stay.

Yes, they were watching.

[OOC: class delayed on account of worldwide political strife...]

throughaphase

When the students got to their simulations today, they'd each find themselves in a room with a simulated Kitty. Notably, there were also two microwaves set on tables, with a jug of milk atop each, and a task.kitty was holding a timer, which she started when they entered the room.

"You don't want to open the task yet," Kitty told them.

sharp_man

The class met this week at Portalocity again, this time to head out to a local butcher's shop in a lovely market.

"In future, we will be discussing how to cut meat," Hannibal began, "but there are any number of different meats you may encounter. Different cuts of different animals are useful for different things, and it's important to know how to make the most of them. And even given the overall qualities of a species, the flavor and texture of meat on an animal varies depending upon which part of the body it comes from. Also, different strains of species have different flavors, and their diet can make a very large difference." As did their frame of mind upon death, but that tended to distress people.

He led them toward the butchery to one side of the building. "I have arranged for the butchers to show you the various cuts of beef, pork, and lamb; where on the carcass they come from; and how to acquire them should you be performing your own butchery. Then we'll be moving to the stall next to it, which I have rented temporarily so that I can show you how the various cuts cook up. There won't be time for you to cook yourselves today, but I'll be feeding you. Provided you pay attention while I work." This was still, after all, a class.

intheeyeofthebeholding

Jon waved tiredly at the class. He'd reserved the Danger Shop for this period, but there was nothing in it so far; he was fiddling with the controls. "I, um. I apologize for last week. I got...well. Distracted." He cleared his throat. "I hope you all enjoyed Greece. That said, one of the things suggested to preserve focus is getting enough sleep. Which Daylight Saving Time does not help with. So."

He finally got it to do what he wanted, and around them appeared a...well, a sort of plush and padded cat tower, if the cats were human-sized. There were tunnels and cubbies and all kinds of places to hide. Or to climb around and play if you were so inclined.

"Today's class is for napping. If you don't feel like doing that, you can use it for exercise, which as we've discussed is also good for focus."

Just don't climb on him, please. He was going to be sleeping.

ifwebeworthy

"Today we continue our exploration of various weapons with the staff. The staff has much to recommend it. It is versatile and unobtrusive. One can carry a walking stick even in modern times without being perceived as armed. It is not, however, the most lethal of weapons, although never count blunt force trauma out. Please watch this instructional video, and then try out some of the movements for yourselves."

imafuturist

Class today was outside! Because spring weather was springing and they could do that.

"Welcome back," Tony said. "We hope everyone had a nice vacation. I know I did."

Despite Hydra Island!

"The dogs missed us, though," Steve said, "and they have a lot of energy."

"Which means this will be a free run!" Tony added. "Please take the towels we provided. They will be muddy and they will want to play with you. I'm sorry."

Not as sorry as he and Steve would be in having to bathe all three dogs after this, but still.

Fee was already off, tearing through the park after a squirrel.

stykera

Once again, cupcake class was meeting in the Home Ec room because that was where the ovens were.

“France today,” Stark said, pointing to the map. “I went there once, on a trip like last week’s but not exactly the same. They’re never exactly the same. I don’t remember ever seeing this sort of cupcake but there were things with the same flavors. There were lots of very good things to eat there. So many pastries…Pastries and very good butter and of course there’s the wine…”

A week of warmth and sun had done wonders for Stark but he was still going to wax nostalgic about trips and treats past.

“So. Today’s cupcakes are Monte Blanc cupcakes. A monte blanc is a french dessert but not usually a cupcake. There’s chestnuts, it’s very good. I think it is anyway. You may not agree. There’s some that I’ve already made for you to try, of course.”

They were not as pretty as the ones in the photos on the website but it was sometimes difficult to get the frosting to be tall.

“I’ve done some of the steps already or we wouldn’t have time but there’s time after class ends if anyone wants to try to do all of the steps yourselves. And…of course…you can just eat cupcakes if you’d rather.”

noonedecidesmyfate

Arden had made such progress on spring cleaning yesterday that Belle felt compelled to contusion the task.

As soon as she finished picking up the pile of books that some gremlins (presumably) had knocked over before she arrived. And the pile of plastic building bricks. She really wished those would be strewn about les often!

deathsmajesty

Another day, another new topic and new location. This time, the class found themselves sitting amongst the clouds--quite literally. They were perched on a long, arcing skybridge that rose up into the sky past the cloudline. To either side, they could see more bridges making their way through the sky. All the bridges converged at one point: a giant stadium hundreds of stories tall, the two statues that stood outside the entrance visible even from this distance. Closer to their spot, was the omnipresent cushions and blankets to sit on, and the whiteboard showing the five mana symbols. This time, there was a line drawn between blue and white.

"Welcome to Kylem," she said, sounding fond. "That stadium there is Valor's Reach, a gladiatorial arena where individuals travel from all over to test their martial prowess in - usually - non-lethal combat. For wealth, for glory...and, honestly, it's a great deal of fun."

She would know, being a several time Grand Champion. Of course.

( The law is meant to ensure that the gears of society turn smoothly and quietly.--Azorius Senate )

"And, finally, while it is very easy to see where white and blue are similar, it is important to note their differences as well. This time, the best way to find that is to look to their other allies: black and blue and green and white. So how do green and black differ? Black is all about free will and individualism, while green believes in destiny and interconnectedness. Therefore, we see the differences between blue and white as tension between those ideas. White, like its ally green, believes that everyone has a role to play in society, and, for the good of society, they should remain there selflessly, regardless of their own wants and desires; white's take on destiny and interconnectedness. Blue, on the other hand, believes that every individual has agency and control over their own actions, which they should spend on perfecting themselves, which will, in turn, lead to perfecting their surroundings; their take on black's free will and individuality. So, together, blue/white will struggle to properly define where a person's duty to their society ends and their duty to themself begins, how much control over their own life and future each person should have, versus how they should be bound by the good of the group." Liliana couldn't help but grin. "Blue/white working in harmony is a marvel of peaceful productivity; blue/white at odds with each other gets spicy."

throughaphase

The class was in the classroom again, with the desks pushed together to make a table. You know, like in school. And on those desks were supplies!

"Today we're going to make slime," Kitty announced. "I'm going to be honest, I don't actually know what it's for except that I'm always picking it up in my house. It's just glue, contact solution, and baking soda, and then you can throw however much glitter you want at it. I also printed out some instructions if you need them."

talentforlying

When the students showed up today, John had actually brought coffee for everyone - but not decaf, don't get carried away - and the room was set-up with a television at the front.

"Right. Movie day, you lot, since you're probably still daydreaming of spring break," he said, taking a bracing gulp of his own beverage. Hungover librarian was hungover. "How do you shoot the devil in the back? Well, I can suggest a few ways, but I've used them all and they don't work twice."

"Watch it, then tell me where the con falls down, and where it holds up. What would you have done differently?"

jedigrammarians

There as certainly a noise when the class arrived today. It was hard to describe exactly, but it was loud, discordant, and somehow both vaguely industrial and obnoxiously acoustic.

"Distractions," Aphra said over the...was it music? Possibly.. "They happen, sometimes all week, and you're 'not allowed' to throw the cause of them into the sea."

"But sometimes they provide their own inspiration," Isabela added in the tones of someone who had been Not Helping for a while now.

"So work on your own stuff," Aphra said. "Enjoy the Wookie Thrash Death Techno Jizz."

Fandom High RPG

About the Game

---       Master Game Index
---       IC Community Tags
---       Thinking of Joining?
---       Application Information
---       Existing Character Directory

In-Character Comms

School and Grounds
---       Fandom High School
---       Staff Lounge
---       TA Lounge
---       Student Dorms

Around the Island
---       Fandom Town
---       Fandom Clinic

Communications
---       Radio News Recaps
---       Student Newspaper
---       IC Social Media Posts

Off-Island Travel
---       FH Trips

Once Upon a Time...
---       FH Wishverse AU

Out-of-Character Comms

---       Main OOC Comm
---       Plot Development
---       OOC-but-IC Fun

⚙

Disclaimer

Fandom High is a not-for-profit text-based game/group writing exercise, featuring fictional characters and settings from a variety of creators, used without permission but for entertainment purposes only.

Navigation

Recent Entries

Fandom High RPG