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Muggle Studies: “We’re not in Kansas anymore” Not one to enjoy keeping the mystery, it would be pretty obvious what that day’s lesson would be about and hopefully just enough to keep the intrigue. “Quickly, take your seats” he tapped his foot as the stragglers came in. “We have a lot to get through today.” ooc: Welcome to Muggle Studies. Professor Leroy has been teaching at Hogwarts for the last couple of years so please play accordingly. If you need to, refresh yourself with the site and RP rules before posting. The lesson will begin in around 24 hours. Lesson Progress: |
Ary never knew what to expect when it came to Muggle Studies lessons. This was a good thing as it kept him from becoming bored too quickly with the subject. Today was no different and it was why his interest immediately peaked the moment his eyes took in the materials Professor Leroy had brought in for today’s lesson. “Movies,’’ he thought brightly. He did enjoy a good movie, especially action ones. Not the romance movies though. They were just… bleh. The fourth year offered the professor the usual cheery greeting then made his way towards the back of the classroom to grab a seat. He dragged a hand through his hair, making it in the process as he continued surveying the camera. It was quite a fascinating object. |
Muggle Studies may not be at the very top of her list of classes, however! it was a class that she was good at. Most of the time. Being a teenager sometimes things slipped from her mind, like homework or if she ate the previous meal, and what time her next lesson was! This may have been the current situation, which was why Bry was now power walking down the corridor towards the classroom, mouth full of the last bite of her strawberry banana muffin. Everything in her mouth was quickly swallowed, her uniform checked for and brushed clean of any crumbs that may have fallen onto it before she stepped into the room. She wasn't late! Oh, sweet ninjas she was on time! Letting out a relieved breath, Bry lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers in greeting. "Hello Professor." Don't worry, she had every intention on sitting quickly, right where she always did. Beside Ary. Hey, hi, hello. She smiled brightly at him, reaching to give his hand a very quick squeeze before looking around the room. "Cool." Movies were always fun! |
It was still relatively new for her, but Tea was settling in to the patterns of school life relatively easily. Aside from one minor little reprimand about how she shouldn’t ride her skateboard from class to class, but she didn’t want her beloved board taken away, so she’d relegated the use to any free time she had on weekends or whatever. There were plenty of distractions from that disappointment anyhow. Besides, she could make it to lessons on time without wheels. Usually. The small brunette might’ve let out the tiniest of relieved breaths when she arrived at the Muggle Studies classroom to see that she wasn’t too late. Navigating was one of the other things the first year was getting used to, but adaptation came easily. “Hi Professor Leroy!”, she said brightly as she made her way to the seat she’d chosen earlier, waving at the older housemates seated near the back. Even as she dropped into her seat and turned back to the setup at the front, as promptly as possible given the navigation between seats. The foot tapping wasn’t about to worry her. |
Her OWL score for Muggle Studies had not been outstanding but it HAD been one of the classes she had actually passed and that was saying something! In spite of being a seventh year and, supposedly, having some direction in mind as to where she wanted to go in life upon graduation, Anna found herself even more adrift than ever. None of that was Professor Leroy's doing, of course, and there really wasn't any one singular person to put such blame on either...but the Hufflepuffle felt that continuing with Muggle Studies opened the world to her just a little bit more. Afterall, it wasn't practical to assume that she wouldn't co-exist with the ENTIRETY of the world. Reserved to the fact that she was a poor test taker, though her academically ardent tutor would insist otherwise, Anna had set the goal to not be late for any lessons this term...or at least no more than 5 minutes late if it happened because it really was inevitable that she would be. Thus, the morning affirmation of 'I appreciate that time is as valuable as water, thus I use every minute wisely and shall never be thirsty' was created and woven in with the other handful she recited to help quell the growing unease in her heart. Today, TADA, she was not only not late but EARLY to class - something she felt Professor Leroy could appreciate - and with plenty of pep to her lighthearted skip as she entered. Her skip slowed to a more on her tippy toes stride while she offered the professor a smile and good morning wave (to her peers as well!). Anna's eyes widened slightly, excitement soon dancing across her freckled features, as the pieces of the Muggle Studies puzzle fell into place. Thanks to Aurora, Anna knew a fair bit about film and cinema in general so she may actually have a good shot of remembering the majority of today's lesson and not require as much review of the material later! "Good day, professor," she beamed as she quickly found a desk and began organizing her things haphazardly about her desk. "Are you warming up for a tap dance, sir?" she inquired with a quick point to his tapping foot. Ancient vintage Hollywood and tap dancing went hand in hand, right? |
Jan kind of liked the straightforwardness in these lessons. He walked in and could see the Professor was a little on the grumpy side with their demeanor. Not that it bothered him, he smiled "Hello Professor," before walking straight to find a seat. Luckily, he was early enough so Jan gave Ary and Bry a little wave and smile before sitting on the other side of Ary. Now he could take in the scenery, curtains, and projector. He wondered what kind of movie they could be watching. Was it something from his godfather's collection? He was suddenly craving some sweet popcorn and treats now. |
Having done decently on her Muggle Studies OWL, Nadia had been given the choice to continue on with the elective. Not a hard decision since it was usually fun and there were muggles in her family tree. She was a touch curious for today’s subject as she made her way down to the classroom with the rest of the students heading that way. Stepping inside, it wasn’t hard to guess the general realm at least of what they would be studying. The curtains could have been theater if it wasn’t for the Hollywood sign. “Good morning, professor,” she greeted, following his instructions and finding a seat. There were a few other students already there. Ary and Briony…a first year Slytherin and her friend Anna. Making that three snakes, a badger and a lion. “Hey,” she greeted before taking a nearby seat and setting about laying out paper and writing instruments to be ready for taking notes. Tap dancing? The sixth year just now noticing the action of the professor when Anna pointed it out. |
Emma had always been relatively indifferent when it came to Muggle Studies. Having grown up with two wizarding parents, the muggle world fascinated her as it was offered this unique perspective. Whether one liked it or not, Muggles were apart of the whole world and they might as well learn to understand them a little better and perhaps improve their lives a teensy bit. Professor Leroy was one she'd come to learn in the last couple years was straightforward, which she wasn't sure about. On the one hand they knew what to expect which made tests and assignments easier, but sometimes she wished he'd leave some air of mystery. Like today was about movies, judging from the Hollywood sign. Even though she had little foreign experience that didn't mean she was completely clueless to some of the major attractions. "Hello Professor," she greeted, taking the seat on the other side of Bryony. Fourth year row. |
A new school, meant new professors, new peers and of course the possiblity of doing something that the professors didn't like. This dark haired newly sorted fourth year lioness by the name of Rose arrived early for Muggle Studies class which in her book was a good sign since she hadn't gotten lost on her first day of classes. She took in the 'hollywood' sign, the weird looking camera, the curtains and other things. "Hello Professor Leroy!" Rose greeted with a sweet smile before going over to sit down in the vacant seat next to Emma and what Rose assumed were other fourth year students in the same row eg; Bryony, Ary and Jansher. |
Satisfied that the clock had ticked over to lesson time, the Professor closed the heavy door with a quick shove leaving any latecomers to be met by solid wood. “Thank you for being on time” he spoke as his shoes clicked on the stone floor as he sauntered his way back to the front of the classroom to stand in front of the blackboard. “As you can see I have left nothing to the imagination when it comes to the subject matter of today’s lesson. We will be taking a deeper dive into the entertainment industry our muggle counterparts enjoy but before I talk about this specifically..” He tapped the wand he’d just withdrawn from his holster onto the lens of the antique camera. “..I’d like you to each name me a form of muggle entertainment that isn’t movies.” A simple enough question. “Just ONE answer each please starting here.” He pointed somewhere in the back row. ooc: Lesson has now started. You are welcome to join in whenever just remember that latecomers will be penalized IC for their tardiness. You have about 24 hours to answer the first question. |
Jan smiled at his fellow classmates who arrived after. It seemed like this would be a fourth-year lesson with the amount of his peers showing up compared to other years. Until the room filled up by the time class began. His chin rested against his closed hand while he watched Professor Leroy begin the lesson. At the first question, he didn't have to ponder for long as he thought about the stuff they had at home. Once the fifteen-year-old was called on, "Video games." Jan said. He knew they were for fun and video games came in many forms. Some were mindless button-mashing entertainment but a good portion had in-depth stories that reminded him of a good book. If he needed to elaborate, he would happily do so. |
Ary had only just put his pen down beside his books when Bry walked into the classroom. He offered her a warm smile as she approached and definitely returned the squeeze to his hand. “Uh huh. I think so too,’’ he told her. There were other very familiar faces joining them now. Teagan, his sisters - Dynah and Nadia -, Emma and Rose, all of whom received acknowledgement in some form. Jan, though, got a little friendly nudge from him. Hi, one third of his trio of besties! With the lesson starting, the Slytherin picked up his pen. There were no notes to be written just yet so he just fidgeted with the object by twirling it between his fingers. He raised his hand and awaited his turn. He thought Jan’s response of video games was an excellent one. When it was his turn, Ary spoke up. “Concerts like a performance dance or a music concert.” |
Nadia wordlessly acknoweledged her brother as he first acknowledged her own presence before bringing her attention back to Professor Leroy as he began the class for today. So they hadn’t been misguided by the set-up of the room in their curiosity over today’s lesson topic. Entertainment. Which was definitely meant to be fun which leaned towards an amusing class. As for an answer to the professor’s question, she mused for a moment as the other two gave their response before speaking up. “Watching sports games…” she answered when it was her turn. Just because it was an entertainment style enjoyed by both muggle and magical folk shouldn’t diminish the entertainment value. Right? |
Looking up from her chaotic good arrangement of school supplies, Anna smiled wide at Nadia and gave her a wave as well. "Hey," she greeted while unnecessarily scooting her seat to the side a bit while the Gryffindor settled in. Her attentioned returned to the professor for a moment and she nearly offered the man a quick round of applause because technically he hadn't denied that was what he was doing and the actual tap shoes were nearby in his office sooooooooo maybe it was possible that someday they would be graced with a performance. Oh! Maybe he could even be a special guest in Drama Club sometime and teach them all a step or two? Head full of possibilities, she somehow managed to contain her excitement and offered a bright smile and nod instead. "Did you know he could tap dance too?" she whispered giddily to Nadia just mere moments before the lesson began and it was time to zip her lips and focus. Focus as best she could, that is. The topic of entertainment was an easy one for her to get lost in. She hadn't ever tried her hand at video games personally, but she certainly knew of their popularity and the mention of a dance performance just made her lean over her desk a bit more to see if Professor Leroy was still warming up or not. She hadn't been to any concerts either but she had heard a lot about them from Big Grumpy Bear Brother Joseph and had received a concert recording of Joshua Miller's latest European tour so she knew sort of what it all sounded like. Sporting events was something she was a tad more familiar with, only because of attending quidditch and gobstone matches at Hogwarts and the occasional U-17 event to support her peers and friends. The nice thing about aaaaaaaall these things was that they were not exclusively muggle nor exclusively magical, which was a really nice concept to consider. Her own hand was soon raised to offer her own contribution. "It's...something much simpler than what my classmates have suggested already ... also doesn't require any electricity like almost all the suggestions thus far can require on some level... but... jigsaw puzzles are another great form of entertainment," she smiled and brushed a couple of wild curls away from her face. It was a task that proved to be a little more complicated than initially thought since a couple strands of her hair got tangled up with her nose ring but a crisis was easily averted. "A perk to them being that not only are they fantastic for cognitive function, but they can be cheaply made and incredibly long-lasting AND recyclable." And, thankfully, her own love and appreciation for jigsaw puzzles had not been tainted by the complications brought about by simple question from Reuben. In fact, she was now officially Ministry endorsed and even gently mandated to continue to solve jigsaw puzzles and thus her own personal collection continued to grow! |
For the most part, the smol brunette hadn’t gotten much acknowledgment, aside from the professor and Ary, but Tea didn’t mind. Well, she might’ve minded it if the professor hadn’t responded to her own greeting, but she was also learning that professors usually did return those. So it was sort of a given that she’d chosen to always greet them. Considering things and the fact she needed to be allowed to practice her skateboarding if she wanted to go pro with it. Getting on the good side of the professors should help with that. But the lesson was starting, so she turned her internal attention back to the professor and the very-much-filmmaking-coded setup. She wasn’t unfamiliar with the whole concept, even if she wasn’t exactly interested by it. Performance was an aspect of her pastime as well, and with a Russian mum, French dad and English stepdad, there was a lot of different angles to approach things with. For now, though, she’d stick with what she knew. Which so far nobody else had suggested, so she spoke confidently when it was her turn. “Comic books, and webcomics. Those are definitely entertaining, and lots of times they get adapted into movies and shows too.” And comics didn’t require electricity either, for the most part. Webcomics, maybe, but it was all reading in some form. With pictures. |
'Just in time Miss Snakebark' Rose heard from Professor Leroy before he closed the classroom door for newcomers. Something told her that being late to his lessons wasn't something she'd want to experience, but knowing herself she knew it was bound to happen at least once this term. Anyways the lesson took off, and Rose listened to everyone elses answers before raising her hand to add her own to the mix. When she was called on Rose said "Solving crossword puzzles is something I like doing for entertainment since its both fun and educating." Among other things like dancing and listening to music. |
It wasn't really Leroy's fault for her overall indifference. He was trying and she appreciated the efforts. Smiling when her new lion friend took the seat on her other side, she didn't have much time in the way of chatter since they were beginning the lesson now. Muggle entertainment that wasn't movies. Most of those things mentioned by her peers could be enjoyed by wizards though? Which made sense in that muggles weren't all that different, but also something Anna said about the she simplest game of a jigsaw puzzle gave Emma greater pause to what she would have to add to the discussion. Ary's mention of attending concert or dance performance, but there was also the entertainment aspect of actually being part of the dance routine. "Not just watching the sports games or performances, but actively participating in a sport or activity could be considered a form of entertainment." Emma said to piggy-back off what was mentioned. |
Sometimes Florence wasn't sure why she was taking this class. Though she did not yet know what career path she would take after Hogwarts, she was certain it wouldn't be something that put her in non-magical environments. But, however unlikely it was, she also figured a little extra knowledge couldn't hurt. Even if she never ultimately needed it, there was no harm in knowing about a variety of subjects. And so she had seated herself in the front as always, mildly interested in the apparent topic of the day. The first question, at least, wasn't too difficult. She raised her hand. "Books are a form of entertainment," she said. "Fictional ones primarily, though nonfiction works can also entertain the right person." Herself, for one, though she could enjoy a work of fiction too when she was in the mood for it. |
Solomon was often distracted during muggle studies, and didn’t have a massive interest in it, though his previous exam results weren’t terrible, for some bizarre reason. He supposed it wasn’t a particularly difficult subject. He had been sitting quietly as the others arrived and started to socialise with the professor, however his entrance had been sleek and he slipped in before most of his classmates, going unnoticed. He had been contemplating what to have for lunch at the back ever since, almost missing the first question. Everything that the other students had suggested sparked an idea within him and he raised his hand, lazily, “Devices that sit in your ears and allow the user to listen to music.” Solomon did own a pair of headphones, a truly magnificent invention, in his opinion. He absolutely wouldn’t be able to explain the process of HOW these music devices produced the music, though. A true marvel. |
Despite it being one of the tamer classes taught at Hogwarts, Sydney rather enjoyed muggle studies. It might seem odd for one who thrived on darkness and chaos, but she believed any knowledge, no matter how mundane, could be useful in the right circumstances. The blonde was here in time and ready to learn. She'd greeted the professor politely upon arrival. A faint flicker of curiosity cracked her ever-stoic expression when she saw the camera. If that camera was from the era she thought it was, she had a pretty good idea what the lesson subject was. She wondered if the camera still worked, and more importantly, were they allowed to use it? Her suspicions were all but confirmed as Professor Leroy asked the first question. Sydney was only half listening to her classmates’ answers, too preoccupied with her own. Her thoughts immediately went to one thing, and her hand shot up. ”Radio, Professor,” She said after being called on. ”Muggles used to listen to radio shows for entertainment, though they're not as popular now.” She wanted to go into detail about how radio inspired other, more modern forms of entertainment, but that was technically giving more than one answer. |
Text Cut: Responses (rearranged for continuity) Entertainment was a broad spectrum that would largely be dependent on what the individual enjoyed and therefore subjective. Take for example Jeorge who in the right frame of mind could enjoy each of the suggestions the students made but who knew many who found the concept of watching muggle sports boring. “Some excellent suggestions and most examples have been covered. Although quite similar to movies, muggles also enjoy television which is shown on a much smaller screen than in a cinema and is broadcast directly into muggle homes via a receiver like an aerial or a satellite dish. Television programmes can range massively between short movie-style to live performances to talk shows to regular life-imitating daily broadcasts shown across hundreds of channels giving muggles a diverse choice of what to watch on any occasion.” “I trust that everyone is aware of what a movie is, if not I’d suggest you quickly catch up in your textbook before we move on.” He did not have the time nor the inclination to cover the most basic of topics when the students should have read up on them before. “Movies, or films, or motion pictures, can be produced all over the world but today we will be concentrating on this place.” He tapped the ‘Hollywood’ on the board. “Specifically in a time period called the ’Golden Age’, between the years of 1927 and 1960 when films transitioned from early silent movies to sound and from black and white to color.” “Before I go into too much detail, I’d like to know what you first think of when I mention Hollywood.” He’d left his description deliberately vague to test their pre-existing knowledge. ooc: Thank you for your contributions. You have 12-18 hours for this question. |
Sorry about her! xD Sydney’s ears perked up as she heard “Golden Age of Hollywood”. The professor just said the magic words to hold her attention. That just happened to coincide with her favorite era in history! She sat up a little straighter, listening with rapt attention. As she did so, she stole a quick side glance at the camera, and a question popped into her mind. That question would have to wait until later. At the moment, she was preoccupied with the professor’s question. Honestly, the first thing Sydney thought of when she heard Hollywood mentioned was scandal… probably the only thing about Hollywood that never changed, no matter what era. There were so many deliciously dark examples she could give, but in the end, she decided to take her answer in a [s]safer[/] different direction. There were so many things Sydney could say about Hollywood, but she decided to leave the more obvious answers for others. She raised her hand and said, “One thing that comes to mind is censorship. The film industry has had some form of self-censorship since its early days. In the Golden Age, it was the Hays Code, a set of rules for what could and couldn’t be portrayed on screen which lasted from 1934 to 1968. Then it was replaced with the MPAA ratings system.” Maybe her answer was more specific and overly detailed than the professor wanted, but she didn’t care. She was overeager, ok?! |
Jan smiled at the nudge Ary gave him, which prompted him to return it as well. Once class continued and after his answer, he liked the extra information the Professor provided on the video games. He knew they were ancient beyond two centuries old but found the details worth noting. Same with other people's answers as some were stuff wizards do as well. At the next question, he thought about it. He probably should've did more reading on the subject of movies. Jan glanced at the mention of censorship and knew it had to be about rules. He pondered more on what else was significant about Hollywood before it was his turn to respond, "Well... it's sort of the go-to place for famous people who show up in movies and other entertainment. They're Celebrities. Kind of like the professional Quidditch players we have but... mainly actors." Not that he meant to imply athletes couldn't act it just... wasn't expected of them. Ahem. |
The Slytherin offered no expression after his first answer was deemed correct, though he felt an extra drum of his heartbeat after speaking aloud. (Solomon often withered away in the background of classes, not offering much discussion.) Mostly because he was quite stupid, but also because he could get quite shy when around people he didn’t know or like. Apparently today wasn’t one of those days, as his hand leisurely went up, yet again. Solomon knew diddly-squat about Hollywood, other than, “The Hollywood sign.” He commented simply. That was literally all he knew of it. Even the other students’ answers were going in one ear and out the other. Why did people feel the need to talk SO much? BORING. |
The thing that Ary like about Professor Leroy was that he always had some interesting point to add to the students’ replies. It was no different with Ary’s. This small barrage of information was super interesting to him and he actually made a note to do a bit of research on live performances in ancient Greek times and that first concert in 1672. The fourth year was very much familiar with television shows, movies and all the other stuff that came with the television {the one in his bedroom had clearly been quite useful} so he didn’t really make notes on this aspect; he actually began by labelling the words ‘Golden Age’ neatly in his book and proceeded from there. As for the question? The Hollywood Sign. Yup, exactly as Solomon mentioned. For that reason, the Slytherin opted to remain silent. Why repeat the answer? |
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