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[personal profile] stykera2026-03-12 10:53 pm

Cupcakes of the World(s), Friday 3/13, Period 3

“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?”

Library, Thursday 3/12

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.
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Norse Mythology, Thursday, Second Period

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

Cinema Studies, Thursday - Period 1

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.
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Philosophies of Mana (Extended Edition), Thursday Per 3

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."
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The Long Con, Wednesday, Period 1 [3/11]

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."
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Creative Writing [Wednesday, Period Two]

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."

Basic Training, Tuesday

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!
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Ethics, Tuesday, March 10, 2026

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...]

Tasks!- Monday- 3rd period

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.
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[personal profile] sharp_man2026-03-09 10:06 am
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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques, period two

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.

Squirrel! Period one

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.
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Combat 101, Friday Second Period

"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: (trying to look innocent)

Overcoming Obstacles - Friday, 1st Period

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.
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[personal profile] stykera2026-03-05 10:01 pm

Cupcakes of the World(s), Friday 3/6, Period 3

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.”

Library, Thursday 3/5

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!
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Philosophies of Mana (Extended Edition), Thursday Per 3

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."

Glitter. -Wednesday- 3rd period

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."
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The Long Con, Wednesday, Period 1 [3/4]

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?"
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Creative Writing [Wednesday, Period Two]

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."