fandomhigh | How to Blow Things Up: Period 2; Week 5

The class met back in the Danger Shop today per the ~~handwavy~~ note Aly sent out to her class.

She was waiting impatiently as they filed in. When everyone was present, she punched up a sequence so that two tall buildings stood at the far end of the Danger Shop. Another quickly keyed in sequence and a countdown could be heard through a speaker. 6-5-4-3-2-1... And the buildings imploded, one after another in a perfectly timed maneuver.

Once the dust had settled, Aly turned back to the class. "So that was a building implosion. It's a very cool use of tnt especially in highly populated areas where you want to bring a structure down in its original footprint to keep other buildings - or people - from getting hurt." She grinned. "And my knowledge of how to do it ends right about there. I'm much more on the quick and dirty end of explosives. However, I have a bunch of papers up here about it. If anyone wants to give it a try and design an implosion to try next class, I'll give extra credit."

She picked up a plasticy white block off the desk and held it up for the students to see. "This? Is C-4. It's a high explosive designed for military use. It's a very powerful plastic explosive, but it's also remarkably stable."

She set the block of C-4 on the floor and, striking a match, set it on fire. The block simply started burning slowly.

"It needs a detonator or blasting cap to actually explode. Fire's not enough. Even if you shot a brick of C-4 with a shotgun, it wouldn't be enough of a shock to set it off. You can also mold it into whatever shape you need to direct the explosion or press the explosive into cracks in a wall or voids in a bridge or machinery."

Aly grinned and gestured to the rows of detonator caps and bricks of C4. "Luckily we have both C-4 and detonators and a ~~moddable~~ environment that you can experiment with directing charges and the amount needed to blow up trucks, bridges, walls, etc. Let me say that less is not considered more when you try to blow something up. A halfway collapsed bridge does no one any good."

"Second we have some dynamite to try out. Dynamite is a lot less stable than C-4 and in recent years, it's been phased out especially on the battlefield as more accurate and less dangerous explosives have been created. One note, dynamite is not the same as TNT nor is it made up of TNT. Two totally different explosives - dynamite's sawdust or some other absorbent material soaked in nitroglycerin while TNT is a specific chemical compound - Trinitrotoluene."

"So for today, I want you to discuss tactics for uses both these types of explosives - why C-4's become so popular over the past twenty or so years on this world and what characteristics you would look for in a high grade explosive. Then try both out, try to bring down a bridge or a building using both explosives and see which you like best."

"Finally, next week we're going to look at explosives that aren't quite so...chemical. Magical or explosives from other worlds so if you are familiar with other types of explosives or a magical or other talent that you've been not using per my request, let me know. Next week's when we get to look at those and show them off. Oh! And Rikku, if I could see you after class."

[OOC: Errr...apologies for the tl;dr. Let me or Aly know if you have other explodey goodies for next week and ~~please wait for the~~ OCD is up!]

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"I don't think I've ever blown up something this big," Gavin said, looking up. "This workshop is awesome."

Ronan looked over at Gavin and grinned. "Yes, yes, it is." He picked up one of the blocks of C-4 and considered the building. "So, what are we going for? Base structural damage to cause the whole thing to fall down? Or a cascade explosion, top down or bottom up?"

Gavin considered the building. "Cascade sounds like fun. Top down sound good?"

Ronan nodded. "Absolutely." He looked at the building. "Ten stories... every odd-numbered floor?"

"Yep," Gavin said. "So, C-4 for five floors. Twenty blocks for each floor or will that be too big a boom?"

Ronan considered it. "Sixteen? That gives us three along each outer wall, and four to place at supports within the floor itself."

"Good call," Gavin said, nodding. "So, sixteen times five floors is...eighty blocks. Might take a few trips to get it rigged."

"Here, just put it all in here," Ronan said, taking some blocks of C-4 and putting them in his backpack. "It's claudicated -- I mean, it's bigger on the inside, basically. We might not be able to fit all eighty, but probably forty with detonators."

"I want one of those," Gavin said idly while he started loading the blocks in. "Tell me when to stop."

"If you really want," Ronan said, keeping a careful eye on the number of blocks being placed in the bag, "I can make you one. As long as you provide the bag."

After a moment, he judged that they'd placed the forty blocks in, and he was right; there was just enough room for the detonators at the top of the bag. "That's good," he said, and slung the bag over his shoulder, barely any weight noticeable and most of that a wizardry to mimic what the bag might actually look and feel like normally. "Let's go."

(OOC: How much do we want to handwave in terms of setting up the C-4? I'm open for none or all.)

"Right behind you," Gavin said, nodding.

[Do a quick few comments? One each for setting it up, going back to get the rest, set it up and then detonate?]

Ronan led the way up to the ninth floor, where he handed Gavin several blocks of C-4 and took several for himself. He made his way to the north and west walls of the building, planting C-4 roughly equal distances apart along each wall.

Gavin took his own blocks and headed to another floor, carefully placing them along walls and near support structures on each of his floors.

After finishing with the rest of his blocks, Ronan went back to refill the bag with the rest of the C-4 blocks and detonators.

Gavin took the other half of his blocks, placing them carefully against walls and near support structures. When he placed his last one, he even smiled.

Kriffing workshop was too much fun.

Definitely too much fun, Ronan thought, unconsciously echoing Gavin, as he finished placing the rest of his own blocks. He made his way back out to meet up with Gavin, so that they could detonate the C-4 from a safe distance.

Gavin found his way out of the building and joined Ronan a safe distance away.

"We ready to blow it up?"

Ronan grinned. "Definitely. You want the honours?"

"If you don't mind," Gavin said. He'd never blown a building up before.

Neither had Ronan, really, but he'd done enough big things that he thought maybe Gavin should do it. "Not at all. Be my guest!"

"Right." Gavin took hold of the detonator. "Here we go."

He paused, taking a moment to look at the building one last time, before he depressed the button.

For a moment, everything was quiet. And then every other floor exploded, sending the building tumbling down on top of itself.

Ronan watched, wide- and starry-eyed. "Coooooooool."

"Yeah," Gavin could only agree. "I want to take this workshop everyday."

How to Blow Things Up: Period 2; Week 5

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