Prompt Answer: Well that was a interesting topic for the day. However the class was a senior class and a lot of them where due to graduate soon. They would be old enough to imbue soul stones of their own. Hell she even fit in that category. So how did she feel about the whole mutated soul stone problem? She knew a couple that might possibly even end up getting one of these so called mutated soul stones. They would be the best loving parents, but she also knew that some people out there weren’t fit to be parents. With her mind made up Yue placed the pen down on the paper.
I believe that the soul stone banks should remain open for a various amount of reasons. However the biggest reason I think the soul stone banks should stay open is that tons of nightmares still get soul stones, and from the black market no less. They think it would be cool to have a mutated kid or they just want a kid now for whatever reason. However because there is no screening process practically any one that has a bit of cash can end up with a soul stone.
Then the kid comes out and they find it freaky or the novelty runs out, they aren’t prepared for the ridicule that the child goes through and even worse in some cases because they weren’t ready for the mutations they abandoned the child who gets to know for the rest of their life that they weren’t wanted and were cast away. If we allowed the soul stone banks to stay open they could heavily screen these people and make sure that the parents fully understood the responsibility that they were taking on. Maybe we can even cut down on the number of children who are cast out even.
There that should be good enough right? Finishing up her essay, she gathered all her papers and walked up to Professor Lyra’s desk placing the assignment in the turn in basket. Hopefully it would be good enough.
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:18 am
Username: DaisyMilk Nightmare: Ashlynn
Prompt Answer: The chimera frowned. Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting assignment. Especially since she didn't really know how exactly she felt about the matter herself. Still, she a few opinions that she could probably spin into a decent argument. Bending over her paper, she go to work.
Soul stone banks should stay open, no matter the time of year. Even though stones imbued on October turn out mutated children, they're still children who should be loved and taken care of. Some nightmares only imbue a stone during October for the thrill of doing something forbidden. If the banks remained open all year, thing would balance out and the number of mutated orphans would very likely drop drastically.
The creation of a child purely for thrill-seeking or simply because someone has money and is bored is wrong. Keep the banks open and let people imbue stones when they feel they're ready. And if they're ready in October, talk to them and make sure they truly understand that the child will be different. In the long run, it would be better for everyone and most especially for any children with differences. There would be fewer children made orphans out of neglect. And in the long run, simply keeping the banks open all year would result in a happier populace. Any mutated children born would know that though they might be different, they were really wanted. And that's the way it should work. Children should be wanted. Not the result of someone just wanting lolz.
Running a critical eye over her paper, Ashlynn decided that it would do. It wasn't the most sophisticated of arguments, but it was thought out and there was clearly some passion there. It'd do. Standing up, she headed for Lyra's desk and set the paper carefully into the basket.
Prompt Answer: Ah, of course the assignment would be about the mutations that come along this time of year. Honestly, if she had been asked to write this last year, she probably would have said to keep them open just to be different. Now she was a little more on the fence about it. She couldn't imagine forcing Anastara to have a mutation, just for the sake of having one, and subjecting her to bullying. But if a family truly didn't mind and truly wanted their child on October....
On the one hand, it helped keep children from being bullied for being different. On the other hand, Madla did feel that keeping the banks open all year round might cause less mutated kids in the future. In the end, everything boiled down to people selfishly subjecting their own children to ridicule and abandonment.
I believe the blood banks should stay open simply to take the novelty of a mutation away from people who are bored enough to play with other people's lives. Back in the day when the soul stone banks were created, there was a lot more segregation and a lot more pride placed in pure-blooded descendants. Chimera wanted Chimera, Fallen wanted Fallen and Geists wanted Geists. The mutations were met with horror and dismay with no thought to the fact that these were still children. Even today we think of them as 'handicapped' and 'deformed'.
Now, there is a lot less segregation and a lot more hybrids roaming around. We, as the races of below, have started melding together and it is more acceptable to have a Chimera with an Imp tail or a Grimm-like Geist. If mutations were more acceptable, and less illegal, they too would be quickly accepted by our society. Not only that, there would subsequently be less orphaned mutants dropped off at the school after the novelty of a 'special' child wore off and the parents would have to deal with any special needs the child might have been born with.
That isn't to say that there wouldn't be bumps in the road; there would be bullying and we would have to learn to accommodate for any special needs they may have. There would also be an initial spike of mutant breedings the first few years after legalizing, novelty doesn't wear off that fast. However, in the long run, we would see the same amount of soul stone seekers in October as any other month, and mutations would seem like just another Nightmare.
Madla frowned down at the paper. She had tried to make it persuasive without making it completely emotional. She knew she'd always be biased in the favor of less orphans. Honestly, she wished there was a way to break the curse; no child should have to deal with mutations because of a decision by their parents. Shaking her head, she turned her paper in and left the class.
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:59 pm
Username: Lavender Hues Nightmare: Sascha
Prompt Answer:
Sascha leaned back in his seat a little as Lyra gave the assignment and clasped his hands over his papers. He didn't think himself to be someone persuasive, honestly, so he felt a little nervous. However, the topic was one that stirred strong feelings from within him, and soon he found himself writing out the beginnings of his argument. It took a few minutes of re-writing and starting from scratch, but the final product was something he felt he could be proud of.
I believe that soul banks should remain open all year round. It's a tragic thing to abandon soul banks specifically because we fear what kind of mutations the children would be born with during October. Mutants are no less able than us and to keep soul banks closed out of fear that there will be more of them is not only an insult, but an ugly sentiment that hearkens back to ancient days of racism. We wouldn't close soul banks if we felt there were too many hybrids in the world, right? That would be extremely discriminatory, and it's no less dissimilar in the case of mutants.
Children, in my opinion, are gifts that you give yourself and to any partners you may take with you. Our children are created when we imbue part of ourselves into stones and wait, patiently, for them to join us here in Below. Furthermore, we bring them into this world through the sense of touch, which we use for bonding and communicating a range of feelings. If that child that comes from that touch happens to be mutant, they should be treated no differently than a non-mutant child. They were still wanted, deeply, and beloved for the length of time it took for them to awaken. By keeping the banks closed during the time where mutants are born, we're telling parents that their potential child is a detriment to society unless they wait. This could lead to feelings of invalidation and confusion for not only parents, but for mutants who already exist.
We, as a society, should examine why we find mutants to be inherently negative, and work to integrate them instead of striving to find a cure for them. Unless a mutant truly wishes they weren't mutated, we should leave them be and allow them to exist. We gain nothing by continuing to condemn mutants and keeping the banks closed. It only serves as a negative barrier that we don't need to have.
"Mmm, I'll end it there." He muttered, nodding to himself. "I don't think I need to express anything else."
Prompt Answer:He stared at the board for awhile, a bit taken aback. This wasn't anything he'd even thought seriously about before. Leaning back in his chair, he twitched his wings uncomfortably, weighing information and thoughts in his head. On one hand, he could totally see where the banks were coming from. On the other, what right did people have to restrict when people could have kids? Yet, isn't it a parent's job to give their kid the best life possible? Wouldn't getting a stone during October be against that? Not that there was anything wrong about being... different, but....
Well, but what? There was worse things than being a little odd, and frankly how was that much different from hybrids? Wasn't it worse to have people getting stones from who knows where than from a bank where the stones are more regulated? People weren't going to stop imbuing stones, and stones from the past were also risky, yet people kept having kids then too. Hmm, he might have an opinion on this after all.
In my opinion, banks should remain open during October. Although I can understand why the banks originally closed due to curse concerns, the act of staying closed has not prevented the imbuing of stones; which was the point of banks closing in the first place. Since it's apparent that they can't prevent stones from being imbued, the next best course of action is to regulate the conditions instead.
Not only does this remove the stigma of mutations, but it helps insure that there's no need for a black market or sub par stones being used. It is much more important to have a healthy offspring rather than a socially 'perfect' one. Now that our cultures are blending more than ever before thanks to the cache and orphans being raised together rather than a more socially segregated population, it's no longer that unusual to see hybrids of various statures. Mutations should be treated no differently. We can only grow stronger as a collective by being diverse and the sharing of information and ideas, such as what's already been happening at the Gardens.
In short, it's more beneficial to the populous as a whole for banks to remain open, rather than creating a potentially dangerous demand for stones from unknown sources that could be truly harmful to the child, rather than just superficially different Nightmares.
Putting his pen down, he read through it again for spelling errors, before getting up to turn it in. He spotted Yue before sitting back down and quirked and eyebrow at her, raising his hand in a slight wave with a smirk before sliding back into his seat. How would Yue answer? Heh, nah, he knew that one. Come to think of it, he was curious to see if Professor Lyra would give just number totals on for or against. Or what that statistic would look like in comparison with older Nightmares all over Below. Probably likely that being raised in a diverse environment meant being more accepting. Still, an interesting thought exercise.
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:33 pm
Username: Peter D Hook Nightmare: Ikki
Prompt Answer: After being certain and triple-checking that he had made no mistakes in his paper, Ikki stood from his seat and made his way to Lyra's desk, looking over his paper once again.
I believe that the stone banks should be open. It's not fair to deny someone the right to have a little one, even if they come out with a mutation. I think that if someone truly wants to imbue a stone in October, then they should be screened or sign a waver that they acknowledge that there is a chance their child could have a mutation.
It almost seems heartless to want to close down the soul bank just out of fear of mutations. Those are still future children and they deserve loving families, regardless of mutations or otherwise.
It would also be nice to see how strong families can become by having a child that may be seen as a little bit different. The stone bank could have a wonderful addition to your family in October, so I think the bank should remain open year-round and that families wanting to imbue a stone should make an agreement to love the child no matter how 'different' they look.
It didn't seem like the strongest argument, but Ikki had chosen to put out his feelings on the subject. If he had a child of his own, he would love them regardless of any kind of mutation they could have. He would still be a proud parent to them and be one of those really embarrassing dads that took lots of pictures and liked to show off his little one.
This assignment certainly got him excited to be a parent one day.
The first letter of her name and a random letter? This assignment looked fun! She could color something as pretty as she wanted without being told what colors it had to be. It didn't even take Phyre to find the letter P, the first letter of her name. She knew this because that was what she had been taught, and it looked like it too! Next for the random letter she could pick, and she decided on the letter C. Why C? It was because her adopted mother Candy's name started with a C, and it caught her attention the most. What was a cat? It kind of looked like a vespercat without the wings.
Phyre then took her crayons and colored the Peas on the P sheet multiple shades of green, writing her name at the top. Next she went to the letter C, making it spotted with black and orange. The hybrid then gave it a silver coat, making the pillow it was on purple and coloring the letters like the thing that was supposed to be a cat. After finishing, she made her way up to the front and gave her coloring sheets with her name on the top of both to her teacher.
Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:39 pm
Username: SpuddyZombie Nightmare: Eileen
Prompt Answer: Eileen bit her lip and tapped her pencil on her head, trying to think up her answer. She liked Language Arts but the question was rather uninteresting to her. Sure, she dreamed of having her own child, but it didn't matter if it was born in October or any other month. I believe the soul banks should remain open during October, regardless of the risk of mutation. Why close it because the nightmares made look different than the rest of us? We shouldn't be afraid of being different.
Parents will love their children regardless of having a mutation or not. And if the parents don't want to have a child with it, then they can simply make one another month. All of us win. Well, except those that dislike mutated nightmares but they're bigots anyways.
She looked over her paper. Seemed a little short but she couldn't think of anything else to write up. Once she finished editing her paper, Eileen got up and placed the paper down on the teachers desk.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:12 pm
Username: Peter D Hook Nightmare: Dante
Entry:
Dante was excited to turn in his assignment. He didn't like coloring much, so his excitement more or less came from being done with the homework and turning it in. He didn't really like dogs all that much, but he colored the 'D' page. Then he picked 'I' because of his new friend Ivy. And he really liked ice cream too.
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:59 am
Username: Random Nobody 13 Nightmare: Ares
Prompt Answer:
'Soul stone banks should stay open during October.'
There, straight, to the point, exactly what the paper would be about. Ares wasn't pleased with the topic, he hadn't started with an opinion one way or another, but he'd come to one by the time he'd thought enough about it to do this paper. After a couple rough tries he'd come up with this. The imp read through the paper one more time, just to make sure he'd gotten everything down and met the requirements.
'Nowadays, it's not all that hard for nightmares who are desperate to get ahold of a soul stone even if the banks were to close. The black market flourishes and those stones may not turn out to be the best to imbue. At the banks at least the stones are regulated and made to be the best they can be. Nightmares wanting a child are registered and likely screened to make sure they'll be good for one. The black market has none of these precautions and is dangerous for both the hapless child and the adults.
Not to mention the fact that we still have mutant children being awoken. Several attend this school even. It's not as if they're 'wrong' or 'broken' any more than hybrids are. Certainly it sends the wrong message to try and stop people from having children. The curse spans both Above and Below, and affects all races equally. All that's needed is to inform the prospective parent's about what will happen and make sure they're ready to accommodate the mutations. That would likely decrease the risk of children abandoned by their parents for being 'different' or unexpected.'
Ares chewed absently on the eraser of his pencil, debating whether he needed to add more to his paper. After looking through it, he couldn't think of what else to add. He'd covered all the bases, checked to make sure his facts were right. Alright, it is done. Now all that was left was to turn it in.
I will probably be slow in making new assignments, unless people PM me ideas! Brain-dead at the moment, aaaah!
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 1:03 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 1:31 pm
Username: nepsah Nightmare: Prometheus
Entry: Prometheus was not sure why they had to do this... Was this some sort of southern exercise in the obvious? He looked around at his classmates, eyeing them as they worked... Well, he wasn't going to disobey the teacher. As unnecessary as he thought this was, it was an official assignment. So, he wrote his name out vertically on his piece of paper and then began to list words... P - Protect R - Rage O - Overwhelm M - Magic E - Exit T - Time H - Heat E - Erase U - Use S - Snow
There... That would do. He sighed at the paper and then meticulously wrote his name at the top for Miss Lyra. He then slid out of his eat to go place it on her desk.
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 1:50 pm
Username: Geyser Eelborn Nightmare: Xenophon
Entry:Xeno stared at the page for a long time. How was he supposed to do this assignment?! The first letter of his name was an x, for crying out loud! And he wanted the words to be...well, significant. And he couldn't very well use his own name as the first letter! Finally he got up and walked to the other side of the classroom and picked up a dictionary. He brought it back to his desk and started flipping through it. There had to be an X word to describe himself somewhere...
Finally he found a word that he thought described him well enough that started with an X.
Entry:Today's assignment was an interesting one: spelling out their name with words. Language arts was not really a class that Teo had been looking forward to, but everyone had to take language arts, and surely there would be some speech assignments at some point--right? In the mean time, he had to do some writing. He carefully made his responses in braille--he would have his sister write them out later, after class. In the meantime, he got to work picking his words:
His words weren't fancy, but they were words that he liked--and each of them had a meaning to him. Once his words were transcribed in such a manner that Miss Lyra could read them, he stapled the transcription and the original writing together and turned them in.
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