Myth Into History, Week 13: "Yes, Virginia . . ." Part 2 [Thurs/1st Period, Danger Shop]
Students entering the Danger Shop this morning might have been momentarily confused by its unusually festive appearance. To tell the truth, the room itself was a bit dingy and drab except for a few garlands and wreaths on the walls and the large, decorated tree in one corner: instead of an angel or a star atop the tree, though, there was a beribboned metal ring with sharp edges.
Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the tree amidst a small forest of old-fashioned handmade toys was Janice, completely unaware of the tinsel crowning her hat. "That'll be a thousand dinars from all of you, or everybody in this orphanage gets evicted at midnight. Who cares if it's a holiday? The town we're in now, it's against the law to celebrate the winter solstice. Anyone caught celebrating it gets a harsh prison sentence. Petty tyrants'll outlaw anything," she added with a roll of her eyes. "One of the other Scrolls I'm working on now was all about some town called Pelios that outlawed dancing -- some craziness about a huge fire in the town after a dance festival being a judgment from the town's patron muse, Calliope, or something like that. This town, like I said, outlawed celebrating the winter solstice because the king's wife walked out on him on the solstice, and the town's toymaker, Senticles, ended up out of a job and working for the miserly bastard. So Gabrielle" -- massive eyeroll -- "talked Xena into trying to force the king into a change of heart by dressing up as the Fates and trying to show him his past, present, and future. There's a bit at the end, too, about a really bright star shining during the daytime and Gabrielle giving a donkey to a couple with a newborn baby, but I have no idea what the hell that's all about."
"Anyway. It'll be a light class for you today, so you have time to get ready for your final. It'll be pretty hands-on, so make sure to wear comfortable clothes. Look, the less essays I have to grade, the more time I have to work on the Scrolls, so don't expect a whole lot of writing. I do expect you to go over everything we've covered this semester, though. It'll come up." She smirked. "Somehow or other. This week is a review period. Oh hell, play with the toys if you want; just don't blame me if that's the reason you fail your exam next week."
[OOC: Class Info Post/Syllabus. As always, open for play through the weekend if needed; light interaction from me today due to a huge pile of stuff that needs to go into the accounting system -- happy happy joy joy. OCD is up!]
Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the tree amidst a small forest of old-fashioned handmade toys was Janice, completely unaware of the tinsel crowning her hat. "That'll be a thousand dinars from all of you, or everybody in this orphanage gets evicted at midnight. Who cares if it's a holiday? The town we're in now, it's against the law to celebrate the winter solstice. Anyone caught celebrating it gets a harsh prison sentence. Petty tyrants'll outlaw anything," she added with a roll of her eyes. "One of the other Scrolls I'm working on now was all about some town called Pelios that outlawed dancing -- some craziness about a huge fire in the town after a dance festival being a judgment from the town's patron muse, Calliope, or something like that. This town, like I said, outlawed celebrating the winter solstice because the king's wife walked out on him on the solstice, and the town's toymaker, Senticles, ended up out of a job and working for the miserly bastard. So Gabrielle" -- massive eyeroll -- "talked Xena into trying to force the king into a change of heart by dressing up as the Fates and trying to show him his past, present, and future. There's a bit at the end, too, about a really bright star shining during the daytime and Gabrielle giving a donkey to a couple with a newborn baby, but I have no idea what the hell that's all about."
"Anyway. It'll be a light class for you today, so you have time to get ready for your final. It'll be pretty hands-on, so make sure to wear comfortable clothes. Look, the less essays I have to grade, the more time I have to work on the Scrolls, so don't expect a whole lot of writing. I do expect you to go over everything we've covered this semester, though. It'll come up." She smirked. "Somehow or other. This week is a review period. Oh hell, play with the toys if you want; just don't blame me if that's the reason you fail your exam next week."
[OOC: Class Info Post/Syllabus. As always, open for play through the weekend if needed; light interaction from me today due to a huge pile of stuff that needs to go into the accounting system -- happy happy joy joy. OCD is up!]