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 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:12 pm
 Kobe stared at his teacher as he heard the homework assignment. He looked to his lap as he wondered how he was to put his race's culture into two paragraphs. There was next to nothing about his race in the history books. After their lecture, Kobe went home pretty upset. Keegan and him had a long chat about how he was to write his essay as well as some other stuff that Kobe wouldn't have thought of putting in. So he sat down in his favorite chair and began writing.
What is a lone wolf suppose to do when they've lost all of their history? I am a grimm and there aren't much left of my culture in history books. What I do no is that grimms like to live in packs. I even got my own pack with my brother Crispin, Keekee and Tobi. Grimms hunt and farm in their territories.
Since there not much to write about grimms, I will write about what my pack does as values. We hunt together when we gotta and are friends! We look out for each other and give our love without anything needed in exchange! And even if no one know what we are like.. my packmate told him that he think that makes the bond between us even stronger. Since we rely on each other probably more than the Grimms of the past ever did. That is what being a grimm is my pack is like.
Kobe sighed as he looked over his paper, hoping it'd be okay to turn in. As he sat in class, his teacher asked to turn in their homework. Kobe bit at his bottom lip, nervously. He passed his paper up, turning it in and hoping it was good enough.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 5:54 pm
 Enoukn had to think long and hard about what he wanted to write. He'd grown up in the Academy for the whole of his relatively short life, he hadn't really met a lot of other Baphomets at the school, though he was sure there were plenty. Still... He had to think of something. So he turned to what he'd read in books prior to class. I am a Baphomet. Baphomets are friendly and we like to give! We like to live in big houses and share what we have with our friends and family. Though I am an orphan, I hope to make lots of friends here at school and build up my own family here! Like other Baphomets, I don't really have any sort of issue with other races - all of them seem okay to me!
The Baphomet are led by the Rexes and Elders. But I haven't really heard, seen, or met any of them, so I don't know if they are nice. I would hope that they are! We worship both the Nine Gods and other Nature spirits - because Nature is important and should be respected too!He felt like that summed it up pretty well. He wrote his name on top and turned it in.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:37 pm
 When Quilo found out what the assignment for social studies was, he frowned. Miss Kanna had given them the same assignment as Miss Lyra! He wondered if the two were friends. Or maybe they were bitter rivals. But in the end, he just had to shrug--write more about his race he must, he supposed. In Miss Lyra's class, after all, he had mostly discussed history. But here, he was supposed to talk about culture.Geists are ruled by six princes--or five after the bombing of Valir leveled the city and killed the Crown Prince. The six princes were united after the Sacking of Alcyone. Alcyone was sacked by the three southern princes, who sacked it because they wanted to prove that they could. Geists used to do a lot of sacking, but they don't do that anymore. Geists believe that every city has a patron god, kind of like how the Demons do, so Geists would pay tribute to the god of the city they sacked. Geists also worship the Nine, especially Enyo, Cyllenus, Mnemosyne, and Asteria.
When a Geist like-likes you, they will steal something from you, then show off to you that they stole it. It is a form of flirting, but most races think it's very rude. Geists think that they are very rude, because you're supposed to steal it back to show that you also like-like them. This is because Geists value cunning, which is a kind of smart that you use when you want something. Geists don't get married much, unless they want a Baphomet wedding. They usually have two spouses instead of one, and will sometimes leave their kids to be raised by their parents while they go off and have adventures.Quilo laid down his pencil and stared at the chalkboard. He'd heard the word before--what was it? Oh yeah. Triads. They were very popular among Geists. Quilo had had three parents...he wondered sometimes which trait came from which one?
He stared at the page. He didn't want to write it. His heart sank every time he thought about it. But he had to mention it, because it was something he knew. He'd studied Geist culture a lot. He wiped his eyes and finally added,Geists think kids should be raised in large groups. If a Geist is not raised in a large group, their parents are considered bad.He sniffed and pinched his own cheeks. He would not cry. He would not cry. He would not cry. Even though he'd just written down the reason why his last parent had abandoned him.
When he could finally walk without crying, he got up and put his paper on Miss Kanna's desk. Task complete, he ran back to his seat and buried his face in his arms.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:25 pm
 History had to be about the most boring subject on the planet--it was just a bunch of dead jerkoffs ruining things for the living. Kind of like a zombie movie, but with less flash and panache. And worse makeup. Nonetheless, if there were ever a topic to get Batholith interested in history, it would be the tale of the 50 Year War. It was something everyone still talked about to this day, and needless to say, he hadn't picked up much of it on the street. All he knew was, it was big. Oh, and a few other details. Those combined with Miss Kanna's expert, though stilted, lecture, gave him enough material to get to work in earnest:
Most people blame the start of the 50 Year War on a botched soul stone delivery, leading to the kidnap of Princess Elena of the Demons by Daydreams. However, tensions between the two peoples were high even before the ricky leggo mishandled deal. The problem was a fundamental cultural difference between Daydreams and Nightmares vis a vis their respective technological methodology. Daydreams favored magic, while we Nightmares prefer enchanted crystals to fuel our technology. Daydreams were so sure of their own technological superiority that they attempted to convert the people of Below to a different technological system. Hence the charged climate of the time. The soul stone shipment was the last straw, and so the Daydreams kidnapped Princess Elena. Both sides escalated the war, often in turns; the Demons threatened to bring in the Grimm to the war, while Daydreams began to firebomb the cities of races that were not actually involved in the war, including the Grimm, who were wrongly accused of being in the war. In the end, firebombing convinced Baphomets and Geists to join the conflict; trade agreements with Imps convinced both the Imps and the Litches to join in, and the Fallen joined at the last possible moment. The Chimera refused to join the war effort, and the Grimm were wiped out during the war and thus had little effect on the proceedings.
I'm actually not from the cache--I was awoken and raised in the city. My parents might have been cache children, though, in which case I was affected second-hand by the war--the war would have caused my parents to exist, and through them, me. I can't confirm that, though, so the only way I know of for sure that the war affected me is the creation of the Academic Society of Asphodel--I attend your school and yeah, that's a form of effect. By opening the school, too, Demons were forced to allow members of all sorts of other races into their cities; the increased cultural diversity has allowed the cities a booming economy, and since I grew up in Asphodel, I've definitely experienced the effects of the economy, both in terms of the wealth and in terms of the crime it has fostered in our cities.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:53 pm
 Raia looked around the room looking for a partner. Unfortunately this was one of her classes where none of her friends were in the same class as her. She was about to give up when she was approached by the red-headed Baphomet, Sara.
My partner was Melisara, a Baphomet from Zephyros. It seems that it is customary in her family that once you reach your teenage years, you are sent to the Academy for continued schooling and to see the world and broaden your horizons. Sara said that this was due to her family feeling in some way obligated to their community to be the ones to undertake this task. Someone has to do it, so why not them.
Like many laws of science, Baphomet culture seems to work on the principal that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. If you give someone a gift you must then give them something of equal value in return. Anything less is considered a slight, and will also be met in kind. Charitable acts are often perceived as needy or attention seeking, which is why Bapho culture considers that to be an act of flirtation. At that point you want to get someone's attention with an act that is out of the norms of the gift culture.
Sara says it is hard to try and look at her culture in a detached way the way it's taught to us here at the Academy. She has after all lived it her whole life and doesn't perceive some of the strangeness that we do as being out of the ordinary at all. Despite all that though, she does feel her experiences here at the Academy are a good thing, and helping her reexamine her own beliefs and come to terms with them and become a better person for it.
There done. She bit her lower lip, read it over again looking for spelling or grammatical errors before handing it in at the end of the period.
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:28 am
Andromeda was very excited about this project. More opportunities to talk about home!
I’m a Fallen! My family is from the Winged Isle but there are also Fallen at Cassiel’s Watch. At home all of the grown-ups are in charge and the kids listen to them. Grown-ups are really smart so they know what to do if something bad happens. We like to live with our families! But my mommy and daddy wanted me to learn lots of things so they sent me here. I don’t think that’s very normal because I don’t know a lot of other Fallen from home here. It’s okay though.
At home it is very important to know about stuff that happened a long time ago. Mommy used to tell me stories about our ansesters ancestors! Daddy said the biggest mystery is where we come from, so I want to find that out too. Fallen are also very polite!! It’s very important to be nice to everyone. Sometimes if we like people a lot- a lot a lot a lot- we give them one of our feathers.
Satisfied with what they'd written, they got up to put it on Miss Kanna's desk, then headed on out to their next class.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 9:30 am
Imps live in big families! Some of the largest families live together in villages in Graven's Gift! They form Cartels and take trade very seriously. They tend to be a friendly race with little in the way of wars. At once point the Demons pushed us out of Asphodel, but the Litches were kind and gave us new lands to live in.
Imps have built a lot of roads throughout the Below and are really good at creating practical magic. They're particularly good an enchanting items that can be used to craft goods. I love being an Imp! Although I prefer to study history myself. I would love to be in a cartel one day and start a large family!
She was happy with what she had written and turned in her assignment the following day with a little hop and a skip to her seat.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 1:25 pm
 Settling down, Maria poked at her pencils as she listened to the assignment, the sound of the teacher's voice slowly drifting away. She barely registered the assignment, and when it came time to write her eyes flicked up, glancing over at other students to attempt to figure out what exactly it was she was supposed to do. Talk about her races? Maria never found much interest in her races, but luckily she had paid attention in class when it came to Chimera and Fallen. One day, she'd be a mother, and her children would need to be educated on who they were!
Okay, it was time to write! Now... think... what did she know?
'I'm part Fallen and part Chimera. Fallen live with friends or family in small groups, and aren't known for breeding a lot. We like to give our feathers to people we love to show affection! I wonder if that hurts.... I've pulled a feather out before and it was painful!!! I'm not much like a Fallen, because they like to know where they came from and I don't really care? I like to know more about where I might end up then where I used to be... is that bad? Am I a bad Fallen?
Chimera live in large clans! I don't think I'd be a good Chimera, either. I don't like too many people! It's too loud! They are super protective of their family and clans will help the smaller clans! Chimera like to show off to their loved ones and display acts of strength.... I don't think I'm that strong, either. But! Chimera will fight for true love, and I respect that! I would, too!!!'
She ended her work abruptly, caught off-guard by the bird who perched on the nearby window. Her train of thought suddenly halted, and the hybrid was content with calling it a day. Wiggling out of her seat, she headed over to the teacher and placed her paper on the desk.
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:40 pm
 My partner was Raia, a Demon. According to her, the backbone of Demon culture is their adaptability. Their lack of the special attributes of other races leads them to compensate quickly. Raia adds that if they failed to do so, they would “fail as a race.” She considers adaptability to be a mixed trait—sometimes it is negative, and sometimes it is positive. The history of the Demon race has been one of strategic decisions—some of them unfortunate, while others cause terrible messes. She concedes that these messes are at least partially due to ambition, a trait in her race she finds entirely distasteful.
She likes the fact that Demons were the ones to open the Academy, but she suspects that ulterior motives were involved in the opening—possibly some attempt to make amends for the Fifty Years War or to make themselves look better for taking in children. In the end, however, she admitted that all cultures have their flaws—that all races have some troubles in their past and that we should be open-minded towards other people’s cultures and pay attention to our flaws rather than bury them in the past.
Sara's interview with Raia had left her feeling depressed. She'd never met someone before who was ashamed of their race! She chewed on the end of the pencil. She felt like she was editorializing, but...she also felt like she needed to put a positive spin on this. She sighed and turned in the paper before returning to her desk.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:22 pm
 This partner project sounded interesting at the very least to him. However, he knew no one in the class to do the assignment with. After looking around the room, he noticed a very nervous looking litch in the back of the room. When did they get there? Oh well, Lazarus had found who he wanted to be partners with. After startling the litch almost into the second life, he introduced himself and offered to be his partner for the project. It wasn't long until Lazarus began to realize how socially awkward this litch, hus name being Yihad, was to talk to. However, he just shrugged it off and just let the two of them focus on their project. Trying hard to understand what Yihad was saying, Lazarus tried hard to figure out more about litches and especially Yihad. Perhaps he could further understand why Yihad here was so weird to talk with? For my interview I talked with a litch named Yihad. According to hum the litch society is really well put together and sturdy. Hu spoke of the government and how it was arranged for order, and that hu liked it that way. Their society goes by three main tenants mostly, patience, knowledge and temperance.
Litches are not known to rush into a situation, being patient about it and not being rash about any decisions made. Decisions are made with wisdom and knowledge on the situation and not just going in head first and experiencing it while it happens. These two tenants come easily to most litches, but temperance is harder for them. For the litches it is often hard for them to pull their focus away from something once gotten into that something. Yihad agrees with all these tenants, and tries to follow them when hu can.
What is most commonly known about the litches is that they have a harder time in social circumstances, coming off as cold or distant to other races. Most of the time it isn't because they don't care, but more often than not it is because they have a harder time reading body language and emotional expressions. This makes it hard for them to understand what to do in a lot of social situations, but litches are taught to be polite and to choose their words wisely. Yihad agrees to this fully, finding it hard to have discussions with others and fearing he will make mistakes. After mentioning the bit on having trouble with social situations, Yihad stopped talking to Lazarus and went to do hus paper. Taking this as a cue that the litch didn't want to talk anymore, he thanked him before heading back to his own seat to finish his assignment, getting it done before the end of class. Perhaps he could help Yihad somehow, but the real question was how he was going to do this.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:23 pm
 A partner project? Yihad truly despised these types of projects. Hu knew no one who hu could interview for the project and that meant having to ask someone else if they wanted to be hus partner and hu didn't want to ask anyone because hu was afraid hu would say the wrong thing and-...was this baphomet asking to he hus partner for this project? Umm, hu guessed hu could. After all, hu needed to do this project in order to get good grades for this class! For my interview I spoke with Lazarus, a baphomet. Over all Lazarus feels his culture is really friendly and values generosity and hospitality, but fears for Alcyone and the situation there after the 50 year war. He speaks of how he likes how close knit baphomet families are, and wishes to one day be able to be a part of such a family. Lazarus even mentioned he would find the gift-wars his race is known for to be entertaining if he were to ever get into one with his family.
These close knit families Lazarus speaks of actually cause him a bit of strife, as he really doesn't have a close knit family or even any friends at the moment. Due to this he has a hard time feeling wanted here at the school sometimes. However, he just brushes it off most of the time and moves on. He says what he would really like is a few baphomets here at the school to be his friends so they could share this longing together, maybe a few other races as well perhaps.
Lazarus then explained a bit more on the values of gifts, saying the the baphomet culture is based a lot around reciprocity. If you are given a gift, you are expected to give something in return. This can be in more gifts or in favors, and it isn't uncommon to have a baphoment come to you one day and ask for help with something in response to them giving you something a few years back. To Lazarus this makes sense, and he feels it is a great way to live and show respect and affection to others who have shown respect and affection to you.
Over all Lazarus wishes he could show this reciprocity more in his own life and to have a close family to share life with. Even though he likes a lot of things about his race, he would like to be able to experience them more for himself and not just talk about them.Hu was glad when Lazarus had left hum alone when the two of them had finished, beginning to work on writing up what hu had learned about baphoments. After looking for errors and fixing them, hu got up and turned in hus assignment when there was the least amount of students around. That was an interesting assignment hu guessed, but Yihad knew hu would be unable to fit into that sort of society. Hu preferred to be alone, that way hu wouldn't make so many mistakes from awkward social situations like hu had done during this interview alone.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:28 pm
Congrats! You passed! Lady Argentum Draconis Vaden, Aella, Tarin, Raia Geyser Eelborn Ustule, Zalir, Quilo, Batholith, Melisara nepsah Ganymede, Starlet, Andromeda
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 11:53 pm
Open for this month! Pay attention to the dates!
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Nasaiki rolled 1 100-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-100)
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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 2:56 am
 Yue had never looked so owlish before when professor Kanna introduced the assignment. She wanted Yue to talk about Geist traditions to the class? What if they didn’t listen, while everyone was getting better about understanding certain geist customs she noticed that whenever anything went missing students automatically jumped to accusing a geist? Then it was back to the presentation, what if they laughed and just blew her off again when she tried to defend some part of her culture. She was going to fail this and it would keep her from graduating she just knew it. She never could pull off presentations ever…Of course like predicted the day of the presentation everything went bad. Her visuals didn’t work, She forgot part of her points because she was stressing out, and the last straw was when a good chunk of the class started laughing at her. It was a total mess. Maybe she could take to Professor Kanna about a redo without being in front of the class. She mentioned she loathed presentations right. "Professor Kanna, can I redo this again. I hopefully wont screw up so royally" Yue asked. ~Lady Kanna~ hey Kanna I'm going to need that one redo
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eldritch stardust rolled 1 100-sided dice:
67
Total: 67 (1-100)
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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 2:58 am
 Blushing faintly as she gave her presentation, Coralie found herself hoping that she wasn't breaking any taboos by talking about Imps and ancestor worship. Oh the whole, she didn't think so, but well... One didn't like to give away secrets unknowingly.
But since she wasn't zapped on the spot by an angry ancestor, she guessed that she was safe enough. And the longer she spoke, the more confident her voice became. And after a few heartbeats, even the blush faded as she spoke and gestured animatedly. Religion was hardly the most amusing of subjects to have to talk about, but the teacher had asked for a facet of Imp culture and religion was interesting, wasn't it? Coralie was nearly breathless with relief when her time was up. Smiling, she closed by describing the tiny altar she kept in her room and that was that. She hadn't done such a bad job and hopefully she hadn't looked as terrified as she'd felt talking in front of the whole class.
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