Hunting 101, Thursday

[likethegun]

Sam had sent a message to the students to meet him at the Danger Shop today. When they arrived, they'd find themselves in a city setting late at night, standing on a deserted street.

"Hey guys," Sam said, grinning excitedly. "Today, I thought we'd get in some practical practice." Before he could continue, a moaning noise came from a few blocks away, thankfully low and distant. "So, one of the things people like to joke about being prepared for is the zombie apocalypse, but really, zombies are no joking matter. Really, nothing in the 'undead and wants to chomp on you' category is a joking matter, but at least some creatures can be reasoned with. Zombies... well, in most lore, there's usually not much left of their human side, so trying to convince them not to eat you with reasons and facts isn't going to work."

He pointed to a table with a variety of knives, machetes, crossbows, aerosol cans, and lighters. "Unfortunately, the only way to protect yourself from a zombie is to take them out of the picture. This side is close range," he said, pointing to the sharp and pointys. "It can be easier to fight with these kinds of weapons, but you run the risk of getting close enough to bite. The other side is your long range. Crossbows and the like can be good if you know how to use them. Anyone can use an aerosol can and a lighter." Sam grabbed a can and a lighter and took a few steps back, showing off the makeshift flamethrower. "Effective and easy to use, but you run into the possibility of hitting your own friends or accidentally setting them on fire, and that's no kind of help."

"There are a pack of zombies about four blocks away who will shamble their way over here within a few minutes," Sam continued. "Pick your weapon of choice, and see how well you can defend yourself and your classmates. You can also choose not to fight, there's no shame in it. But you have to tell me what you'd do instead - be a lookout? Provide first aid? In an apocalypse, everyone's got to play their part." And if they were lucky, they'd never have to put that statement to the test.

Adulting With Cars, Thursday, Third Period

[10secondcar]

When the students arrived for today's class, they might notice things seeming a bit...off-kilter.

"Sometimes," Brian said, "you're going to get a flat tire. It happens, it sucks, and you need to know how to deal with it, because unless you specifically have run-flat tires and know that's what you've got, do not try to drive on it. That's how you wind up with a lot bigger problem. Now, you've got a couple of options to tide you over until you can get to somewhere you can get a new, proper tire. The sturdiest is going to be a spare tire, but maybe you don't have a spare tire. Maybe you used your spare tire for the last flat, or when you get a good look at your spare tire you realize it's got dry rot or something. It happens. That's why my poor car has three flats, so we can cover all the bases. Let's get started."

First, Brian walked them through how to change a tire, and then the alternative methods. "Your assignment for today is to fix your flat tire using one of these three methods, and then drive to the tire shop programmed into your car's GPS. Winner gets candy. You can pick which method you use, but there's a catch: since changing a tire does take longer, if you pick one of the other two methods there's a greater chance your repair will fail before you reach the shop and you'll have to try again on the side of the road programmed into the simulation. The decision to take the risk or not is yours. Ready, set, GO!"

Library, Thursday (10/8)

[wildandbrave]

Cosette wasn't sure where the guinea pig had come from, or why it had chosen to trail along after her while she was out on her walk.

What she had done was stop to buy food for it before she came into the library, where she set it up in a high-walled cardboard box and made sure it was comfortable.

And now she'd be spending all her downtime today looking up information on caring for guinea pigs. As unexpected turns of events went, she didn't find this one particularly objectionable.

[OOC: No OCD, open!]

How To Get By In A Hostile World, Thursday

[suitably_heroic]

"Last year, I ran a basic survival class," Atton began. "See, 'hostile world' can mean a lot of things. Not just urban or social crap. So. Today, I'm putting you out there, and you're going to have to survive for an hour in an unforgiving climate."

He pointed at a table full of outfits. "Suit up," he called. "It's gonna be cold as soon as you cross that threshold over there. You've got 45 minutes until the sun sets, and you need something to eat. Your job is going to be to find some. I'd suggest shooting something and cooking it, but hey, you can try other ways if you want to. Once you have your food, you're going to want to get somewhere warm."

He clapped his hands. "Go."