Creature Languages, 1/12, Period 3

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

A fishbowl-sized terrarium has been placed on Dream's desk, and students who look closely may notice a small brown arachnid within it, crouched between two rocks.

"Hello.

I have decided to start the term with a discussion with a creature who many of you might be wary of, a Brown Recluse Spider. Like all spiders, brown recluses are arachnids, not insects. This means they have only two body segments instead of three; a fused head and thorax (called a cephalothorax or prosoma) and an abdomen (called the opisthosoma), supported by an exoskeleton composed mainly of chitin.

Spiders also have eight legs (insects have six), no antennae, and their eyes are single lenses rather than compound eyes. Additionally spiders have pedipalps (or just palps), at the base of which are coxae or maxillae next to their mouth that aid in masticating food; the ends of the palp are modified in adult males into elaborate and often species specific structures used for mating.

In short? Do not refer to our guest, who you may call Aunt Nancy, as a "bug."

And do not fear her. Brown recluses bite only when disturbed, and she is bold for her breed. No harm will come to you from her."

As he speaks, Dream reaches into the terrarium and draws out the small brown spider. She crouches on his palm, then waves a foreleg.

//Hey there, children.//

"She is greeting you. I will interpret for the duration of class, but I believe you will pick up on her cues soon enough."

"As always, I am in my office after class."

Comments

Sign in

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Roll call.

Re: Sign in

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair signs in.

Re: Sign in

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

Jake signs in.

Re: Sign in

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

Paige signs looking tired and sad.

Re: Sign in

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander signed in and looked curiously at the spider, not especially unnerved by her. Because he's from California and doesn't get the annual health and safety freakout announcements that come out every summer in the midwest about Brown Recluses.

Re: Sign in

[anole-x.livejournal.com]

Victor comes in from the clinic and signs in.

Re: Sign in

[swerval_zero]

Zero signs in and studies Aunt Nancy. Oooh, bug arachnid.

Re: Sign in

[stykera]

Stark signs in.

Re: Sign in

[upforachase.livejournal.com]

Cordelia signs in and looks nervously at "Aunt Nancy".

Re: Sign in

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

Vala signs in.

Re: Sign in

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Pippi signs in and sits down... She looks with interest at the spider.

Re: Sign in

[pure-blooddraco.livejournal.com]

Draco signs in and sits near the back. He usually wasn't afraid of spiders...must be a leftover feeling from when he was Ron Weasley.

Re: Sign in

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter walks rather stiffly in and signs in.

Re: Sign in

[bruiser-in-pink.livejournal.com]

Molly signs is, looking nervously at the terrarium.

Re: Sign in

[sakuracchyan.livejournal.com]

Sakura signs in, making a sort of :| face at Aunt Nancy. She didn't particularly mind spiders, but they certainly weren't her favourite.

Talk to the creature

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Say something to Aunt Nancy.

Re: Talk to the creature

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

Jake waved hello back to Aunt Nancy. "Do spiders like coffee?" he asked, curious.

Re: Talk to the creature

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair grins nervously and waves. "Hey there...Aunt Nancy...fine...um...tank you've got there."

Blair shook his head and tried again. "What do you wish you could tell people, like if you could talk to them all the time?"

Re: Talk to the creature

[the4thsister.livejournal.com]

Paige looks at Aunt Nancy for a moment before deciding on her question, "Are you one of the breeds of spiders that eats their mate?" she asks, not meaning to offend her, right now she thinks it's a pretty good system.

Re: Talk to the creature

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander tilted his head and considered the creature politely. "Any particular story behind 'Aunt Nancy'?" he asked while his mun groaned because she just got it. "Do you have a lot of little nephew and niece spiders running...er, crawling around?"

Re: Talk to the creature

[anole-x.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Aunt Nancy," Victor said, a little nervous but trying hard not to be. After all, the teacher said she was safe, right? "I had a couple of questions. First of all, are you ticklish? Or is there somewhere that you and/or other spiders like to be touched? Get your mind out of the gutter, boys and girls! Also, do you communicate with other species, or only other arachnids?"

Re: Talk to the creature

[swerval_zero]

"Hello, Aunt Nancy. I understand that spiders are not 'bugs', but do you feel more offended or a sense of resignation caused by the species barrier when humans refer to spiders as bugs?" Zero, of course, speaks from some experience with the species barrier.

Sit in class

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Pass notes, chat, listen to the lecture, etc.

Re: Sit in class

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair finds a seat and sits, sniffling slightly and pulls out a notebook to write down his notes from the lecture.

Office Hours, 1/12

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream and Aunt Nancy are in his office after class.

Re: Office Hours, 1/12

[swerval_zero]

You wanted to see me, Professor? And Aunt Nancy, of course.

OOC

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

[["Aunt Nancy"? Not Charlotte? :)]]

Re: OOC

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

[[OOC: Hee. Comes from being a Gaiman geek.]]