Sex And Candy, Wednesday, Second Period

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"So, one of the problems of fairy tales is that they are sometimes contradictory in the messages they try to teach," Cindy said, as students filed into the Danger Shop, set up to look like a vast forest with a single path winding through the middle. "Some of them try to tell you that so long as you follow the rules and work hard, everything will be okay. Others make a point of life's unfairness, where people even decent people get the short end of the stick and children die for getting dirty. While most of them stress how important it is to be kind to those you meet, no matter how lowly or common they appear to be, some show how easily kindness can be repaid by cruelty. Sure, most of those usually end with the bad guys getting their comeuppance, but most of those endings seem tacked on at the last minute. It's the suffering that gets most of the attention."

Of course, part of that could be blamed on sheer human nature and what people found most interesting to hear about, but that was a lecture for a different day.

"So, today, we're going to experiment with the arbitrary nature of fairy tales," Cindy continued, and please ignore that little grin she can't quite get rid of. "Your job is to deliver this basket--" and with the click of a button, there were a stack of picnic baskets by her feet "--through the woods to Grandmother's house. Stay on the path and don't forget--" She clicked another button and stopped biting back the grin. "--Your little red hood."

[Many thanks to furnaceface for helping me iron out the OCD!]

Comments

Sign in (Week 5)

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

In red!

Re: Sign in (Week 5)

[trigons_child]

Raven

Listen to the Lecture

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Eye the hoods dubiously...wonder if there's anything good in the basket...

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[trigons_child]

Raven didn't like the cruel stories naturally, especially when it was kindness repaid that way. The hood, on the other hand, didn't bother her, since she usually wore a cloak of a different color.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe wasn't thrilled about the hoods and this was one of those stories she had never liked.

She liked it even less now.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[onlymistaken]

Cally actually thought the hood was rather attractive; not, perhaps, weather-appropriate for wearing outside the Danger Shop, but still pretty.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[notmyownage]

Soooooooo essentially the lecture meant they had no idea what to expect while doing this assignment?

Or maybe they weren't supposed to get the hoods dirty.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

The cloak looked silly on Squall, especially overtop of a leather jacket, but he made it work by very clearly not caring.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[godofxbox]

Alex eyed the red hood warily, then decided that at least it wouldn't show blood.

He was practical that way.

Random Encounters!

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

The forest itself is quite pretty, with birds singing and a river splashing somewhere ahead of you.

*Just a few yards down the path, there's a large spiderweb spun in a bush. Caught in the web is a small ant. "Help me!" it cries out to you in a small voice. A big, brown spider is busy trying to wrap it up in silk. "Go away!" says the spider. "This is my dinner!"

You can either stop and free the ant--though the spider looks like it might try to bite you a few times first--or continue on your way and let the spider eat.

*A little while later, you hear small cries of pain. Around the bend, you see a fox with its foot caught in a trap. It looks almost out of its mind with pain; if you help it, you will almost certainly get scratched and clawed? Do you free it or walk along?

*Ah, you've finally caught up to that river! There's a small footbridge that spans a river that looks rather deep, filled with rocks and water plants. You check under the bridge for trolls and don't find any, but you do see a fish with a hook in its mouth, caught by an unattended fishing pole. "Hurry, hurry!" the fish calls. "The old man will be back soon to fry me up for supper! Let me go before it's too late!"

The pole doesn't look very sturdy, so if you want to free the fish, you're going to have to wade out there and get soaked. Or you can keep walking and stay nice and dry.

Three encounters, several options. Make your choices!

Re: Random Encounters!

[trigons_child]

As Raven followed the path, of course she freed the ant. The spider did bite her once, but she simply healed the small wound. She knew it was the spider's nature so she didn't scold it, but she wasn't about to let the poor ant suffer when it was calling to her for help.

And of course she freed the fox. She sent it calm and soothing warmth at first so it would not scratch her, then pried open the trap and freed its paw. "Let me heal you, little one," she said, taking its injury into herself before it scampered into the woods.

And of course she freed the fish, not minding that she got wet doing so. She didn't relish depriving someone of their supper, but the poor thing was suffering, and there was no way she could ignore that.

Re: Random Encounters!

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe's choices were made for her before she could even think about it. This happens when one of your best friends was a werewolf and you never knew what other people you would meet -- and she didn't want to deal with angry creatures as ghosts when she could have helped them from becoming ghosts.

It was enough to make your head hurt, really.

She freed the ant from the spider web and when she got bit by the spider, she had several curses that popped out of her mouth. She'd have to go to the clinic and get that dealt with if it turned out to be a real spider.

When she saw the fox, she moved carefully towards him, talking to him in a gentle voice. She only got clawed twice before she managed to get him freed from the trap.

The fish was the hardest one. Chloe couldn't swim. Like, at all. However, she couldn't just leave him there. So, being very careful so she didn't slip and go under the water, she made her way to the bridge to help the poor little fish.

Re: Random Encounters!

[wwiii]

As Warren went along the path, he couldn't help but frown a little. The ant and the spider were certainly a dilemma. The ant had a voice. So it had a mind. And spiders... well, they needed to eat, too. Either he was condemning the ant to a quick death by spider, or the spider to a slow death by starvation. He took a deep breath, and then powered on. Spiders ate ants. That was the way of things. And it helped, a little, that because this was the Danger Shop, it wasn't a real ant being eaten. A little.

The fox was an easy call. Warren was more than strong enough to pry the trap open, and his healing factor meant that any claws or teeth that found his skin were of little consequence anyhow.

... But damn that fish. Did everything here talk? He was soaked to the knees by the time he got it out, and by that point he was feeling guilty for freeing the fox and the fish, but not the ant. But the old man could eat vegetables, right? And the spider couldn't, so...

Logic wasn't serving him very well today.

Re: Random Encounters!

[onlymistaken]

The ant was...problematic. Creatures that could think and speak deserved to live, but what did you do when those creatures ate each other to survive?

"Couldn't you eat something else, like an ant that doesn't talk?" Cally asked the spider. "Or...how about a sandwich?" From the basket. And it was more like a strip of deli meat and a few crumbs, but since that alone was twice the size of the spider... It wasn't quite as deliciously struggly as an ant, but it still interested the spider enough that Cally could free the insect without getting bitten.

The fox and the fish left her with fewer conundrums, especially since she could just leave the rest of the sandwich beside the fishing pole for the old man; it certainly wasn't the only goodie in the basket.

Re: Random Encounters!

[notmyownage]

Claudia was a bit torn on the ant issue before finally shrugging. "Sorry, ant. Spiders gotta eat, too."

The fox was an easier decision, though it took Claudia a little while to find the sticks she needed to open the trap from a distance, so as not to get scratched.

As for the fish. . . . Well, old men had to eat, too, but he wasn't right there reminding Claudia of that fact. He'd just have to catch another fish later.

Re: Random Encounters!

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

When they happened upon the spider and the ant, there was really no deliberation on Firekeeper or Blind Seer's part. Creatures needed to eat, and that was that. So they left the ant for the spider.

The fox, on the other hand... whoever trapped it should have come back immediately to claim it, Firekeeper reasoned as she pried the trap free. An intimidating growl from Blind Seer kept the fox from nipping at either of them.

And then the fish presented a similar dilemma. Really, humans should be more attentive to their traps. Getting wet didn't bother either wolf.

Re: Random Encounters!

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

Juliet freed the ant, cooing to it as she did, and immediately regretted it. She managed not to get bitten, but the spider web was sticky against her skin.

The fox was harder to decide about. It was totally adorable, but did she really like foxes enough to free one to make a point? She loved fur! She was frozen there for several minutes, trying to decide.

Re: Random Encounters!

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba of course could not just simply choose one animal over another. She squatted down to look the spider at eye-level, and spoke.

"In such a deep forest, you choose to eat such a small, helpless creature?" she asked.

Major Decision Time

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

After you cross the bridge and continue on, you hear what sounds like an old woman calling for help, off to the right. She doesn't sound all that far away, but you'll definitely have to leave the path to help her.

Do you follow the rules (http://fandomhigh.livejournal.com/2857460.html?thread=179603188#t179603188) and stick to the path, leaving an old woman in trouble? Or do you disobey and try to help (http://fandomhigh.livejournal.com/2857460.html?thread=179603956#t179603956), facing the perils of an unknown forest?

[This is an either/or. Once you continue on, you can't leave the path, and once you leave the path, there's no going back to it!]

Re: Major Decision Time

[trigons_child]

There was no question. Someone was calling for help, and Raven would never ignore that. She didn't like disobeying, but the need to help was stronger than the want to obey the rules.

Sticking to the Path

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Sorry, old woman. Rules are rules.
You continue down the path towards grandmother's house, basket in hand, when a fairly disreputable-looking fellow darts out of the trees, snatches your basket, and dashes away down the path back towards the river.

Hey! You just got mugged!

So much for following the rules.

Re: Sticking to the Path

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

You need that basket! Try to catch him and get it back. Hope you're quick or very clever!

...Except the mugger is totally a jerk and even caught, he throws the basket into the river. Cindy will look the other way if you decide to rough him up a little for being well, Jack a pain.

[If you let the spider eat the ant, he & his family will help you catch the mugger by spinning a very big web and catching him! Otherwise, you're on your own!]

Going to Help the Old Woman!

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Forget the rules! There's an old woman calling for help!

Only when you get to where the noise is coming from, you don't find an old woman in danger--no, you find a hut on chicken legs (http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs41/f/2009/047/1/4/Baba_Yaga_by_YoitisI.jpg), with a cackling old woman sitting in a giant mortar (http://www.pastafairy.com/press/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/The_Baba_Yaga_by_Samolo.jpg) in front of it.

Great. It's Baba Yaga, and she wants to eat your face.

Maybe you should have followed the rules...

First Task--Rat Catcher

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Well, Baba Yaga is at least a little reasonable--she's not going to eat your eyes, for example--and is willing to let you go in exchange for doing two simple, easy, completely pointless tasks.

The first one is she needs your help in the pantry. Somehow it got infested with rats and she wants you to get rid of them. She's even got a broom you can borrow!

[If you saved the fox, she'll show up and kill the rats for you. Otherwise, it's up to you.]

To Grandmother's House!

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Once you've either retrieved your basket or got away from Baba Yaga, it's a straight shot to Grandmother's cottage. You tap on the door and go inside to find Grandmother! (http://www.racheshop.de/product_images/images/big/117675_halloween-karneval-kostuem_big.jpg)

...Oh. There's an image that will linger.

Little red hood or no, you quickly realize that that is not Grandmother, but a wolf in disguise! Fight him or trick him to get away!

Re: To Grandmother's House!

[awakestheghosts]

"Really?" Chloe grumbled. "Really?"

She had been spending too much time with Derek because this sight made her offended on behalf of all werewolves everywhere. She would also probably not get the wrongness out of her brain for quite a bit.

She was going to throw her hood at his face and hope it tangled him up enough so that she could get away.

Talk to the TAs

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

They won't tell you what to do, though!

Re: Talk to the TAs

[weldedtomyspine]

But one of their muns, at least, thinks that CYOA class is the best idea ever!

Talk to "Professor Perrault"

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Who was very good and did NOT use an image of Frau Totenkinder for Baba Yaga.

Re: Talk to "Professor Perrault"

[godofxbox]

"Um, Professor?" Alex said as he approached Cindy. "I'm really sorry I missed class. I was...a dog. Lame as that sounds."

OOC

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

I was pleased by the number of ass-kicking icons I got to use! \o/

Also, feel free to use whatever powers/skills/ingenuity at your disposal! Fairy tails are built on tricksters, you know.

Re: OOC

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Not to complicate things, but Elphie is stuck on the first bit of the first bit since she'd stop and talk it over with the spider. Any possibility of interaction there, or should I just mod that?