Class 5: Lab

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

"I was delayed in catching this week's lab topic.



"This, class, is a Fiery. Be careful as you're studying him, he has a way of lighting things on fire. Also, do not under any circumstances agree to take off your head, or for that matter, touch his.

"Because he is a living and dangerous creature, you will have to rely primarily on observation. However, he is intelligent after a fashion and can speak, so you are free to talk to him.

"Here are the questions I would like you to ask yourselves today." Jareth hands out sheets of parchment to everyone.

1) Mammal, avian, or something else entirely?
2) What qualifies a creature as insane, if that is the way they all are? How are we to judge?
3) Why hasn't their whole forest habitat burnt down yet?
4) Are their musical numbers better than mine?
4) As it can remove its head, where, precisely, are its vocal chords?
5) Make your own hypothesis about the Fiery and test it to the best of your ability.

Further help may be found in this archive: chilly_down
Photographs of the Fieries in their natural habitat may be found here: Dance Magic

Comments

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

(ooc- can this please be the one voiced by Danny John Jules? Cos well we don't have Cat and this would make my evening!)

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

(ooc- stands up and does the full Rimmer salute!)

[sunny-skyes.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Ahh Smeg! Is he gonna put on his tallest pair of platform shoes and jump to his death? XD;]

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

[ooc: Ha, sure. I don't remember which one that is, but whatever you want :D ]

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

*perks up on hearing "he has a way of lighting things on fire"*

Fire? How?

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

1) Considering he's probably from where you're from, something else entirely, possibly magically created.
2) Were they all that way to begin with? If so, then no, there's nothing sujectively insane about their behavior within the context of their species.
3) Natural selection leading to fire-proof trees?
4) Depends on how tight your pants are at the time.
4) If it's a magical creature as the head removing ability suggests, it mightn't even need vocal chords.
5) *taps pen on page* *raises hand* Professor? Are we allowed any materials for our testing? Preferably of the flammable kind.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Are we allowed any materials for our testing?

Yes. He's immune to fire and I've fire-proofed the area.

[demonbelthazor]

*conjures a flaming ball of death and bounces it in his hand*

Are they immune to fire? If I threw one of these, would it just absorb it?

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

He'd probably fire one back. *pointy grin*

[death-n-binky.livejournal.com]

*DEATH, who is wearing large amounts of tinsel at the moment, ignores Jared's advice and takes off his head and switches it with the creatures. DEATH then begins to dance, while the creature, who now has DEATH's head, twirls the scythe*

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Jareth cackles.

[sunny-skyes.livejournal.com]

Sora looks at it tilting his head curiously. Take it's head off? Then again Jack took his head off all the time and he seemed perfectly sane. Still he goes about filling in the assignment.

[12parseckessel.livejournal.com]

*limps in*

*Stares at critter*

1) Possibly mammilian, as is furry. Not definitive, as have encountered furred reptiles.

2) Existing under conditions of complete reality Creatures are insane when their behavior impairs functioning in ordinary life situations.

3) Green wood takes a lot more to burn

4) Vocal cords most likely located in torso below neck. Or possibly in abdomen

5) *observes, but falls asleep on desk*

[miss-monochrome.livejournal.com]

::Thinks that maybe the more important question is how it can still move without its brain attached. But then she'd once seen someone exploded into a pile of goo that could still talk. Decides she doesn't want to know and goes about the assignment::

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

1) A cross breed of reptile and avian, I'd guess
2) I guess a creature would be considered insane if it behaved against what was expected of it's species, soif it's normal for these creatures to take off their heads etc they're clear not insane but acting as nature dictates
3) Their forest hasn't burnt down cos they're careful? Or are there similar creatures that can put out the fires?
4) There number's are nothing compared to yours oh mighty one
5)I'd suggest their vocal cords are in their heads possibly near the nasal passage
6)*Paige writes a few notes trying to decide what to test* (ooc- will answer later)

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

*toothy grin*

5)I'd suggest their vocal cords are in their heads possibly near the nasal passage

That is an excellent suggestion.

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

Paige smiles while trying to remember this man is basically bad, but very cute. "Thank you sir," she replies blushing lightly

[conathon.livejournal.com]

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

[ooc: Smokey the Bear *snort* that's good. And it takes me back :D]

Alcohol is flammable, so I'm afraid not.

[brandnew-world.livejournal.com]

Hotaru peers at the creature and tries to figure out what it is.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

1)Something else entirely, I'd wager. Though the creature may have certain mammalian and avian aspects of form, it seems to lack the behavioral and biologial process distinctions of those species.

2)The definition of insanity is "a mental disorder of such severity as to render its victim incapable of managing his affairs or of conforming to social standards", so I suppose if all Fierys behave in the same manner, and they have - in fact - not burnt one another or their homes down to the ground... Then we can not classify such behavior as being insane.

3)Is there a certain type of tree in which the Fierys live? One that is naturally resistant to flame? Or mystically resistant to the flames Fierys emit?

4)At the anterior of the beak, perhaps?

5)Hmm. I would like to test how long a Fiery's head can be separated from the body without any harm coming to either, but such an experiment could possibly damage our test subject.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Number 3 is an interesting hypothesis and I will be sure to look into it.

As for 5, I'm not entirely sure that that is the Fiery's original head.

[pure-blooddraco.livejournal.com]

1. Looks like a cross between a mammal and a avian to me.
2) Well, I don't really think it's insane. If it acts like all the rest of it's species then it would be normal, wouldn't it?
3) Well, either the fire they create cannot burn wood or the trees that grow in their habitat don't catch on fire.
4) I'm guessing it'd be in the neck region near the torso.
5) Hum, I'd like to know how intelligent they really are. I guess I'll go up to it and try talking to him/her/it(?) I suppose.

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

# 5: Go right ahead, Drago. They're not particularly coherent, but they are capable of speech.

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

1) Neither mammal nor avian. As a magical creature, it is not subject to such labels. Kind of like a platypus.
2) It depends on how sanity is defined. To it, we are perhaps the insane because we do not throw our heads around. Having a detachable head may very well have a number of advantages for a magical creature. Without knowing more about the conditions in which it lives, it woudl be difficult to tell - because, after all, insanity is a sane response to an insane world.
3) Not all incendiary sources are actually capable of catching things on fire. It could be a natural effect of their method of creating fire, or it could be a resistance developed by the surrounding plants of the habitat.
4) Nothing is better than the babe with the power what power the power of voodoo.
4) As it can talk while the head is detached, the vocal chords must be in its head. There must be, as well, some air chamber in the head controled by muscle that forces air through the vocal chords so that it can speak while the head is separated from the lungs. Being a magical creature, however, it could be capable of throwing its voice as easily as it throws its head.
5) I would propose taking a separated head and seeing if there is a limit to how far the body and the head can be separated while still able to speak/sing. Is there a distance or time constraint that affects head and body separation? Can different heads be interchanged on bodies without adverse effect?


[ooc: HA, how ironic, I just introduced my BF to Labyrinth yesterday, hee!]

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

Your observations on # 4 are very intriguing. It is a good start for looking for it's vocal chords.

Taking his head is a very touchy subject. Most of the reason this hasn't been tested is that he will then try to take your head in return for his.

[ooc: YAY!!]

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

"Oh...right, sir" Kiki gulps, her hand going to her throat. "Maybe that isn't the best idea, then. But that brings up another question. If there are no eyes and ears on the body, how can the head direct the body to try to take my head, sir? Won't the body just sort of flail around?"



[ooc: Any chance of Jareth performing Dance Magic Dance at Homecoming? Please?]

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

(ooc- do you know what keeps comig into my head, the fact that the actress who played Sarah in it is the RL wife of Paul Bettany who plays my RP boyfriend!)

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

[ooc: LOLOL]

[jareth-the-king.livejournal.com]

[ooc: let's all join in the chorus "It's a small world after all... :D]

[soldtoarmenians]

[Xander is quietly absent.]