tyler_gone: (at desk)
Tyler Durden ([personal profile] tyler_gone) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2008-05-22 08:27 am
Entry tags:

Chemistry for Anarchists, Thursday, Period 4

Class met in the Danger Shop today, and arrayed on workstations in the front of the room were glass bottles of various shapes, soap flakes, rags, matches, tampons, firecrackers, sugar, rubber cement, and liter containers of gasoline, motor oil, wood alcohol and turpentine.

The back wall of the shop had been turned into a junkyard with old mattresses, beat-up cars, appliances and other moddable debris. A low wall separated the junk from the workstations.

"Afternoon," Tyler greeted the class once they were assembled. "Housekeeping first -- my office hours are pretty much all day Monday, and Evey Hammond is your TA. Let either of us know if you have questions. Also, there's safety gear at your stations. I know we're in the Danger Shop, but wear it anyhow. It's good practice." He paused for a second to snap on goggles, then reached for a bottle, a jug of gas, and a rag, working as he talked.

"Today, we're making Molotov cocktails. They're about the fastest and simplest bombs you can make. Rioters love these. Watch." As he spoke, he had sloshed the bottle three-fourths full with gas, soaked the rag in the stuff, and pulled it through the neck of the bottle to make a fuse, which he quickly lit on fire. He lobbed it at an avocado green refrigerator. "Ka-blam."

Grinning as the fridge came apart, Tyler pushed his hair back and hit a button on the shop control panel to put out the fire before talking again. "Not that it's always that simple. Lot of people like to add something to the gas -- a good handful of sugar, motor oil, soap flakes. All those things make the explosion stickier, like low-rent napalm. And some people swear by turpentine instead of gas. Abbie Hoffman, a radical back in the '60s, liked firecrackers or tampons as fuses. I think firecrackers are a little too much heavy ammo for one of these to carry, but that's me. But sugar's a nice, cheap addition."

"Your task today? Figure out what you think goes in a perfect Molotov cocktail and make one. Evey assuming she tags in and I will be around to help."
wannabehunter: (grin)

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[personal profile] wannabehunter 2008-05-22 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Jo's grin was kind of scary.
wannabehunter: (thoughtful)

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[personal profile] wannabehunter 2008-05-22 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Jo eyed one of the cocktails she was making thoughtfully, wondering what effect adding salt would have on the explosion.
futureclone: (Default)

Re: Sign in [5/22]

[personal profile] futureclone 2008-05-22 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Alex Drake
the_merriest: (science-y)

Re: Sign in [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Rikku
the_merriest: (oooh! neat!)

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Rikku was scribbling notes, when she wasn't staring at the pretty explosions. (All explosions were pretty.) Things like sugar == STICKIER and Abby Hoffman - sixties rioter - LOOK UP.
the_merriest: (science-y)

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, oh, oh, she loved this class. Loved it. Could barely contain her glee.

First step: a standard Molotov cocktail like the one he made, and watching that old junked stove blow up.

Then add sugar and see what he meant by "stickier." ... Dude.

Soap flakes: compare and contrast to the sugar.

Tampon: see how long the string took to burn, compared to the rag. Figure out if that gives you time to get creative.

She had a notebook next to her and was filling it up with scribblings about her results. Science was awesome.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[identity profile] sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Pleased that he'd noticed, Sokka considered the question. "Somewhere in the middle," he answered. "And the rounder ones have better aerodynamics. What would be really awesome, though, would be something flatter. You get more control that way."

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[identity profile] sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Sokka sighed. "No, I've never seen a bottle that shape," he said. "But it would be awesome if there were some. I mean, seriously: a Molotov Cocktail you can throw around corners. Think of the possibilities!"
the_merriest: (shiiiiiiny)

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm having an awesome time," Rikku sighed happily, pausing to add a quick note and then tossing it down again. "I haven't even gotten to the turpentine yet, I'm playing with all the other variables first and then I'm gonna sub out the base fuel. Start over, compare and contrast, you know?"

The scientific method, brought to you by exploding refrigerators.

"Who's Abby Hoffman?"

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[identity profile] sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Sokka grinned. "You make the bottles, I'll do the throwing. I'm good at throwing things."
the_merriest: ((pony!))

Re: OOC [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
ANARCHY PONY. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
the_merriest: (stand tall)

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[personal profile] the_merriest 2008-05-22 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Rikku picked up her notebook long enough to scribble down "Yippees" and hoped it didn't look rude to be taking notes while chatting. But seriously. This sounded so cool.

"Did they win?" she asked. "I mean ... whatever they were fighting against. That Vietnam-group, and the Pentagon, did they get it shut down?"

It wouldn't make them less awesome if they hadn't. She was just rooting for them now and wanted to know.

Re: Sign in [5/22]

[identity profile] remember5th.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Evey Hammond

Re: Talk to Evey [5/22]

[identity profile] remember5th.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Evey was there, and looking quite a bit more in her element than she had in a long while.

Re: OOC [5/22]

[identity profile] remember5th.livejournal.com 2008-05-22 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
NEVER omg.

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