fandomhigh | Magical Theory 101 (Monday, 01/09/2006, 5th Period)

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magical theory

Magical Theory 101 (Monday, 01/09/2006, 5th Period)

{{CLASS IS NOW CLOSED FOR GRADING}}

Jenny stood at the front of the classroom. Off to the side, as it was the first day of classes, she had laid out bagels and cream cheese for everyone.

After the students signed in and took their seats, Jenny started today's lecture.

"You're lucky, guys. Today's the easy class. Mostly introductions, plus a little bit about my expectations. Class is discussion-based. That means that your credit comes from participation. Sitting there while everyone else does the work? Does not earn you a good grade."

{{OOC: In other words, posting things like "[character] listens to the discussion around him" or "[character] sits and waits for someone to discuss with" will not earn you your participation credit that day. Jenny's always around to discuss with--and if RL is hurting you, I will accept even one line, as long as it's on the topic of discussion for that day.}}

"Don't forget to sign in every day. I don't see you sign in? You don't get freebie points for attendance, and I think free points for attending class is a pretty good deal. If you ever have questions on the material--or anything else, for that matter--I hold office hours on a pretty regular basis, or you can stop by after class is over."

"We will also be having monthly exams covering all the material learned over that month. Those? Last day of the month that we have class. You can come and check your course grade with me any time. If you're worried about your grade? Extra credit's a possibility. Again, come and talk to me."

"We will be having a final project. This project is worth one-third of your grade, and if you don't turn it in, you will fail the course. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to work on it. Besides, you're getting the project instead of a final exam."

{{OOC: Class will remain open for sign-in and discussion comments until I start grading it, usually before the next class begins. At that point in time, I will no longer accept any posts in that thread. When we begin discussion on the final project, however, there will be a specific due date for that (the last day of the term, of course).}}

"The TA for this course is Xander Harris. Treat him right, guys, because he'll be running class if I'm out."

"This is a theory-based class. In other words, you don't get to learn magic in here. This of this class as a grounding in the theory behind the practice and a lesson in magical ethics. Anyone caught using magic in this class--and trust me on this one, guys, I'm gonna know--gets to meet with me and explain why they decided to use magic in the class. And if I don't like the answer? That's when I start assigning some form of punishment. Now, onto the easy part. I don't know you guys. Introduce yourselves, and let me know why you signed up for the course."

{{OOC: I won't stop anyone from using magic in the class on an OOC level. But using magic around Jenny has a high risk of her sensing it (she's had training in magic from childhood and has a high level of ability with it). Basically, that was your IC warning that magic use will have consequences. We'll roleplay it out and determine what the consequences will be based on the magic that's been used. And on an OOC level? I have no objections to someone breaking the class rules. I think it could be a whole lot of fun. But I did want to give you guys fair warning on the consequences.}}

{{OOC: OCD comment threads ~~going up shortly~~ are up. Comment away!}}

Useful Links:
Ms. Calendar's Voice Mail
Ms. Calendar's E-Mail

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...

Bel munched on a bagel then said, "Name's Belthazor. Demon, from the Underworld. I want to learn more about magic, even if it's just theoretical, so I can use and control mine better."

"Nice to see you, Belthazor," says Jenny. He'd introduced himself as Cole Turner in Study Hall last term. This? Was gonna be interesting. "Sounds like a good plan."

"Looking forward to the class," Bel said, smiling. ~~"And me being here has absolutely nothing to do with screwing up a spell and making Angel try to sleep with everyone except the person I wanted him to. Really.~~"

After Belthazor makes his introduction, Kiki stands up, and very determinedly does not look at him as she introduces herself.

"I'm Kiki Takayama, and I'm a witch-in-training. I have some abilities, but I would very much like to know the theory behind them to get a better understanding of how they work."

She sits down again and takes a bite of her bagel, still not looking at Belthazor.

Jenny notices Kiki not looking at Belthazor, but doesn't comment on it. As long as it doesn't affect class, it's none of her business. "Hey, Kiki," says Jenny. "And again with me saying that's a good plan. Glad to see you here."

Kiki smiles, answering, "Thank you, Professor."

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-09 20:14 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

kikidelivers.livejournal.com - 2006-01-09 20:38 (UTC) - Expand

Belthazor glances over at Kiki as she enters the room, then quickly looks away. Awkward....

Kiki pretends she didn't notice Belthazor glancing her direction, and tries very hard not to fidget. Awkward...

Paige stays seated, "I'm Paige Matthews, I'm a witch," she looks over at Belthazor and remembers his warning so doesn't mentioned the part about her being half whitelighter, just in case, "I have some powers, and erm can do spells and stuff even if they do backfire sometimes."

"I'm taking this class because ~~I don't want to end up with really big boobs~~ I think it's something I should know about I've read books but I figure actually learning from someone in this kinda environment would be a good idea."

"Hello, Paige," says Jenny, smiling at her. "Anyone can have a spell backfire. The thing to do then is learn from it, and not make the same mistake twice. So hopefully you can get a good grounding in the basics this term."

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

the4thsister.livejournal.com - 2006-01-09 19:11 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-09 20:16 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

the4thsister.livejournal.com - 2006-01-09 20:18 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-09 21:28 (UTC) - Expand

"My name's Logan. There's no magic where I come from, and I've seen a lot of weird sh- uh, stuff since I came to Fandom, so I wanted to find out more."

Jenny nods at Logan. "I was hoping that some non-magic users would show up for the class. Good call. It never hurts to know the rules of magic in case you get in a sticky situation."

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

fh_jackass - 2006-01-09 21:51 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-10 00:54 (UTC) - Expand

"My name's Piper and I'm a witch. I figured it would be a good idea to get a better understanding of magic since I'm still pretty new at this."

Jenny nodded. "Good idea, Piper," she said. "Working magic and understanding it are two different things."

Xander grinned. There might have been the tail end of a twinkie snurched from the cafeteria disappearing down his throat when he swallowed before speaking. "Xander Harris. Absolutely non-magical, but it definitely works where I come from, and some of my friends back home are pretty good with it. Figured it might help to at least have a better idea what's going on when I'm holding somebody's mugwort." He blinked. "Which was not a euphemism."

Jenny snickered. "We'll have a section on herbalism," she said, wondering who Xander was talking about. "And if you're going to eat in class, Xander, try to make it something healthy for once?" She nodded at the bagels and grinned at him.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

soldtoarmenians - 2006-01-09 20:34 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-09 21:29 (UTC) - Expand

"Alex Krycek, taking the class because there might be magic where I come from and I'd like to know it when I see it."

"And a third good reason," said Jenny. "Nice to see you again, Alex." He looked a little more awake than he had in Psych 101 earlier today.

Cordy groaned when she heard that Xander was TAing the class. When she stood up, she completely avoided looking at him. It was kind of weird seeing Ms. Calendar again, too.

"I'm Cordelia Chase, and I've been surrounded by magic for a number of years now, but am looking for a better understanding of how it works."

Jenny glanced at Cordelia when she groaned. Another thing that never changed? The rivalry between Cordelia and Xander.

"Hey, Cordy," she said brightly. "Nice to see you again. I'm sure you'll be able to pick up on it in no time."

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

upforachase.livejournal.com - 2006-01-09 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

Maia sat her bagel down and stood up. "I'm Maia Rutledge. I am precognitive, I don't read minds even though sometimes what I see can make it seem so. Um, they don't come from a magical ability like where I would use a spell or read tarot cards things like that. I can just see things."

"Hello, Maia," said Jenny, smiling. "And you're taking the class because...?"

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

maias-notebook.livejournal.com - 2006-01-09 22:04 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

romanywitch - 2006-01-10 01:39 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Introductions

maias-notebook.livejournal.com - 2006-01-10 02:03 (UTC) - Expand

Sakura stood up after a moment's hesitation, and smiled. "Kinomoto Sakura," she paused a moment. "...Oh, I should start introducing myself the way everyone here does. Sakura Kinomoto," she corrected. After pausing to mentally scold herself for how silly that sounded, she continued. "I'm not exactly a witch, but I do practice a sort of magic on my own. Where I come from, magic is very different from what it seems to be here... so I'm taking this class to compare and contrast and see what magic around here is like." She smiled briefly, and then quickly slid back into her chair, hiding behind her bagel.

{{OOC: Try checking your community invites here. You may have to accept the one for the FH main comm first.

"There are a lot of different magical systems, Sakura," said Jenny. "So you've given us another good answer. Thanks!"

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