[Open Class] The Art of Seeing, and Being Seen

[Baneful]

WE ARE HALLOWEEN

NAME OF CLASS: The Art of Seeing, and Being Seen (Socio-Cultural Anthropology)
PROFESSOR NAME: Mr. Darcy

General Information: After spending many months away from Amity travelling abroad and taking care of what he's termed 'family affairs', Mr. Darcy has returned to instruct students on the importance of being earnest- and observant. The whys and whims of cultural norms - from the lowliest minotaur to the wealthiest demon - will all be examined with his typical scrutiny and decorum. Professor William is prepared to look down his exceedingly handsome and classical nose at everyone with impunity. He will not shirk at any topic, and as seen previously is still a firm believer that participation is paramount to understanding. After their glimpse of alien culture during their time on the clan isles, he feels it is high past time they open their admittedly small and probably weak minds to the societies of peoples who, while a little closer to home, are no less wild.

The Course: Rumors have been flying that the elusive Mr. Darcy has returned from a mysterious leave of absence, and students brave enough to venture toward his long-abandoned classroom know why. Taped to the door is what appears to be a reading list - as if anyone needed more work to do during the busy prom and festival season. While some might pretend they didn't see anything and keep walking, a few may notice bats lingering near the hall's ceiling, and decide completing their homework might be in their best interest after all...

Below the book list is a very strange questionnaire. Is this a book report or a biography?

Mechanics:
You can repeat this class up to 4 times! Each time you must select a different book. It might behoove you to do them in order, as they scale in difficulty! Simply roll 1 10 sided die to see what information you've gleaned! . Use the chart below to determine what you've learned! You need to discover at least 3 Unique Clues to consider this a success, but you can try for more if you want, you over achiever you!

My First Scaring

My First Scaring
Fiction; Children's

'My First Scaring' is a book written by reknown Weregoose author known simply as 'Mother'. While the many early editions of this short story feature art of young weres, recent releases have seen a wider audience boasting baby Undead, Demons, and various monsters (although only the races with a natural affinity for thumbs). Miss Mother Goose is also unveiling a underwater cave painting version of the work that is a co-operative piece between herself and famous each uisge artist William McAdams. The edition available for his class contains prints from the aforementioned work, and for the first time features children of both undead and monster lineage.

DICE

1 - Ugh, who assigns a children's book? You leaf through the pages, but learn nothing new.
2-3 - Look at you, rediscovering your childhood! You find it hard to read as you keep glancing to all the pictures...They're very well done actually, but sometimes they seem to follow their own script. Goodness, that little patchwork girl is so mean to that little...bear? Werewolf? Gorilla? You've found a clue!
4 - You're so bored you actually bother to read the About the Author section. Apparently Miss Mother Goose has an adopted were-ape daughter who's engaged to the artist of this book. You've found a clue!
5-7 - On the last page, it appears that the horse-boil child and the gorrilla looking kid are holding hands. Storybook romance? The patchwork girl is glaring at them in the distance. A little creepy... You've found a clue!
8-9 - The dedication page reads, "To my daughter, Francine." Isn't that the name of one of the other authors? You've found a clue!
10 - Mr. William sure is putting an emphasis on how kind and pretty that ape-girl is. You've found a clue!

Flylight

Flylight
Fiction; Teen Romance

This awkward and halting work hails from one of the finest fan-fiction writers of this age, the up and coming undead novelist Selena Mayard. Written for teens, it follows the tale of young Isabelly Swine - the destitute daughter of an estranged yeti couple. Belly was forced to move from her cold, northern territory home to her father's hutt in the murky swamps of central Halloween. Here, she meets and falls into a forbidden romance with the each uisge Eanruig. Their struggles as he resists the urge to take her to the water, and as she has to deal with the fact that she will never truly be as beautiful and smooth skinned as he, provides an emotionally flat and predictable plot that nevertheless has proved overwhelmingly popular with young ladies between the ages of 14 and 40.

DICE

1 - This is seriously a great book! How could people hate it?! For some reason, this read-through has you thoroughly ~*enchanted*~. You feel you can strongly identify with the characters, especially that poor undead girl. How dare Belly and Eanruig chose each other over her?! TEAM JESSY FOR LIFE!
2-4 - You read the forward. It's kind of awkward, and has a lot of notes written to the author's ex-husband...A Mr. McAdams. You've found a clue!
5-6 - It becomes increasingly clear as you bash your head against the word-vomit of each chapter that the author really has something strongly against the main protagonist. It's as if she is trying to make her as plain, boring, and utterly unlikeable as possible. Meanwhile, it seems the only half-decent character is that poor patchwork, Jessy. Destined to be locked in unrequited love forever! Hey, isn't the author an undead herself? You've found a clue!
7 - You suddenly find ponies very attractive. This book shows a side of the each uisge you never thought exsisted. A dark, brooding and sexy side. Go team Eanruig! Ok, that motto needs some work...
8 - Some of the lines in this book seem oddly... derogatory. And personal. "I know what you are." "Say it out loud." "...Hair fetish." What does that even mean?! You've found a clue!
8 - 9 - Mr. McAdams...The same last name as the artist for one of the books on your list. Could he be Selena's elusive ex husband? And isn't he also an each uisge? Odd that she'd use that as a main character in the book. And she portrays Eanruig so unflatteringly! You've found a clue!
10 - You fall asleep in the middle of a chapter. Teen romance just doesn't interest you, or maybe this section is just particularly boring.

Bigfoot Burlesque

Bigfoot: Burlesque
Non-fiction; Alternative Lifestyles

Written under the pen-name, W. M.A., this work is a written history of the burlesque club "Hair There", whose primary song and dance acts feature bigfoot and yeti performers. The piece is written from the perspective of a frequent patron, and is often critized for handling the subject material in an overly familiar and non-objective manner. However, the interviews with some of the actresses are particularly poignant, and the work often reads like a memoir. It is an interesting look into the underground world of bigfoot performance art from someone who appreciates dance, comedy, and body hair.

DICE

1 - Ok, so this book uses a psuedonym, but the questionare asks for the author's names. You wonder if the name is in the book somewhere, but you check the nifty included character index and none of the initials match. But there is one person whose initials DO match- the artist from the children's book you were also assigned. You've found a clue!
2-3 - W. M. A.... Women's Modesty Association? No, that can't be right...
4-6 - This book also has a dedication page- to "F. S. and her darling Mother G." Time to check your author list again, you suppose. You've found a clue!
7-8 - You are really not into body hair. Really really. You have to put the book down, and resist the urge to cough up a hairball.
9 - Whoever this WMA is, it's clear he really is into girls with a hairy hiney. You've found a clue!
10 - It mentions, briefly, that the manager of the club is a mad scientist by the name of Doctor Diddle. He has a daughter who's a bartender at the club, whose name was not disclosed, and is referred to as M. S. Another initial? The book indicated that she quit eventually, as she grew jealous of one of the performers. You've found a clue!

In Stitches

In Stitches: An Observer's Guide to Persons of Put-Together Personage
Non-Fiction; Reference

A reference guide for the uninitiated. Written by an up and coming professor of the reknown College of Laboratory Arts, wereape Francine Stein. The piece functioned as her LabArts thesis. It features both basic descriptions of the many types of patchwork undead, as well as profiles on some of the more famous members of their races.

DICE

1 - Francine Stien- isn't that the name of Mother Goose's daughter? You've found a clue!
2 - You leaf through the glossary, looking for clues. There's an entire chapter dedicated to Selena Mayard, but unlike the entries before and following, it's unusually harsh, and seems to focus a lot on her personal life and her inability to 'let go'. You've found a clue!
3-7 - You aren't in stitches, You aren't even chuckling. This is the driest book you've ever read.
8-9 - The book's author is a wereape, and isn't Mr. William engaged to a wereape? And Selena Mayard's got a mysterious ex-husband... You've found a clue!
10 - This book is so boring. You fall asleep before you even make it through the foreword!

Quote:

BONUS MECHANIC:
Complete all four reading assignments and answer the questionnaire to get a special minipet! (Simply PM your question answers &class link(s) to Ravvlet)

 

[Baneful]

Zar was good at reading, not perhaps as talented as he had once been, but still more skilled at it than he was at almost anything else. He could no longer read simply by touching the book, the words spooling out into his thoughts as though the narrator themselves were reading it aloud. Instead he had to patiently read each word the way everyone else did and found himself mildly irritated by his own dubious eyesight.

Still, the book he'd been assigned seemed fairly interesting. Flylight it was called and was apparently a romance novel. He didn't mind a bit of romance now and then seen that it was so lacking from his own life. It was like reading fantastic literature about far off places and things he'd never seen. Love was something that happened to other people, people who weren't him.

The foreword was strange and littered with various references to someone named McAdams. He made a mental note and moved on. Despite its awkward pacing, it was quite the page turner and he quickly found himself interested in what the author had to say, and at least minorly invested in the protagonist and her problems.

Quote:

2-4 - You read the forward. It's kind of awkward, and has a lot of notes written to the author's ex-husband...A Mr. McAdams. You've found a clue!

 

[Baneful]

It was a very long foreword though, and he found himself distracted from the main book simply trawling through the authors somewhat self aggrandizing consideration of their own innate genius.

 

[Baneful]

And somewhere along the line, while trying to get through the foreword, he fell asleep. He'd been so stressed out lately, it was almost a relief in itself.

 

[Baneful]

When he woke up, Zar got back to reading his book and was slightly irritated to find that one of the characters was a patchwork. Of course. Because he was so fond of patchworks to begin with. He thought maybe they should go sew a clue onto themselves.

He didn't actually have a problem with the protagonist.

Quote:

5-6 - It becomes increasingly clear as you bash your head against the word-vomit of each chapter that the author really has something strongly against the main protagonist. It's as if she is trying to make her as plain, boring, and utterly unlikeable as possible. Meanwhile, it seems the only half-decent character is that poor patchwork, Jessy. Destined to be locked in unrequited love forever! Hey, isn't the author an undead herself? You've found a clue!

 

[Baneful]

It all seemed
 

[Baneful]

A bit
 

[Baneful]

Repetitive  

[Baneful]

Zar actually enjoyed it all in all, it was trashy, certainly and hardly a word of literary genius but he was just a downright sap when it came to the longing unrequited affection of the characters and enticed by the fantastically handsome love interests. Plus it had ponies in it, he was very fond of ponies, even if the author was not kind about the character who was one.

Quote:

8 - 9 - Mr. McAdams...The same last name as the artist for one of the books on your list. Could he be Selena's elusive ex husband? And isn't he also an each uisge? Odd that she'd use that as a main character in the book. And she portrays Eanruig so unflatteringly! You've found a clue!