Daybreak Academy

Who: Ziggy and his Outlands Survival class
What: A holiday special feature on the origins of Halloween
When: The last week of October
Where: A classroom
Warnings: Talk about spoops? Shouldn't really be anything unless students get out of hand.

[For the last week of October, the usual field manuals and reference images from Ziggy's Outlands Survival class have been replaced by store bought Halloween decorations. The focus of the class this week? Halloween, and its origins in particular.

The papers, and lecture, focus on the Irish holiday of Samhain, the druidic tradition that inspired much of Halloween. If anyone wanted to know the origin of trick-or-treating, well, apparently it evolved from 'guising', during which people would dress as spirits and perform songs in exchange for offerings in the spirits' names. Jack-o-lanterns were originally turnips, and meant to scare off malevolent spirits. Bonfires were used as divination and protection.

Why all the focus on the deceased? Because Samhain was said to be the day when faerie – the Outlands – was closest to Earth, and the barrier the weakest. It's said that on that day, portals to the Outlands could open without warning, and existing doorways stood wide open. That's why the holiday is so important to cover in this class. With as many of the other old myths that are at least frequently true, the ways the ancient Celts protected themselves from fae and other dangerous Outlands creatures are worth studying.

...And, in the spirit of the holiday, he's provided supplies for students to make their own Samhain masks or grotesque lanterns Though he doesn't seem to trust the class with pumpkin guts, as the gourds he's brought for everyone are plastic.]

Who: Ziggy, Nekane, Kisara, Minako, Serena, Bai Lin, Doreen, Keith, Ryuji, Ren Amamiya
What: Trying to calm a train, possibly via suplexing
When: June 10th
Warnings: Death-related stuff, possible stirring of traumatic memories

( If only Sabin were here... )