Fandom Invasions Class #1 (Thursday, period 4)

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John was waiting at the front of the classroom, leaning on his desk as the students filed in.

"Good morning," he said with a smile, when everyone was settled. "Welcome to Fandom Invasions. I'm sure all of you have noticed by now that Fandom is a rather unusual place. It's what makes it such a good fit for so many of us who don't really fit in elsewhere, but it also has a downside. Namely, that invasions of varying kinds happen on a disturbingly regular basis. If you haven't been through one yet, chances are very good that you will before you leave. The purpose of this class is to make sure you're prepared when that happens by looking at invasions of the past.

"If you look at the syllabus, you'll see a list of which past events we'll be focusing on and when. We'll be making extensive use of simulations and for that reason, we'll be meeting in the Danger Shop starting next week and every week thereafter.

"For this first class, I want to get to know you and your experience with the stranger aspects of Fandom. So I'd like to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves, tell how long they've been in Fandom, and talk about the weirdest thing that's happened to them since they've been here.

"I'll start," John said with a slightly wolfish smile. "My name is John Winchester and this is my second year teaching here. One of many weird things that I've done in the time I've been here is stalk and kill a genuine saber tooth cat practically right on my doorstep. More recently, me and my boys had to go get our Christmas presents back from a little green thief who talked in rhyme and called himself the grinch." He looked around and picked a student at random. "Next?"

When everyone had had their turn, John continued, "As you can see, there is no lack of weirdness to go around. Hopefully by the end of this class, you'll be as prepared as possible to deal with the next strange thing that happens." He looked around at the class. "Any questions?"

[ooc: wait for ocd's up!]

Comments

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," said Hoshi gratefully. "I should probably work on my fighting skills. It may come in handy in class, even if I never get attacked again."

Besides, you never know when a girl in space will have to defend herself against vicious aliens.

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

"It's so not a problem, I'm happy to do it." Ino grinned. "And working on fighting skills is a whole lot of fun," she said brightly, "it's very theraputic hitting things when you're mad." The voice of experience here.

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

Hoshi wasn't the type to get mad very often, but the frustrating experiences she had at home definitely made her want to punch something. "I could give it a try," she said.

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

"Start with something softish." Ino advised. "Hitting a wall or something will just hurt your hand and make you feel worse."

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"Like those punching bags at the gym?" suggested Hoshi.

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

"Those would work," she nodded, "or a mattress turned up on it's side."

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"I do have an extra bed now that I don't have a roommate this semester," said Hoshi, thinking.

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

"And that way, if you're angry you can just lock the door and not have to worry about an audience. The gym's a bit open if you want to just vent, you know?"

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I get a letter from home," said Hoshi.

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

Ino nodded. "Letters from home are totally a hit or miss. They can either be great or absolutely infuriating. I'm guessing more of the latter for you?"

Re: During John's Talk

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. My mother and uncle have totally gone off the deep end," said Hoshi. "I didn't really keep in touch with them last semester, and then when I went home during the break, I found out that they've joined some radical group."

Re: During John's Talk

[intraspective]

"A radical group?" Ino asked, "Like, a cult? That's... wow. I can see how that'd be a bit of a shock to you."