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fandomhigh2013-08-02 03:26 am
bluhblahbluh.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2013-08-02 03:26 am
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Monsters and Humans. Lecture: Werewolves. Friday, Period 4
"Werewolves" was written in large neat letters on the white board today!
"Human information about werewolves is not very consistent." Drac started as soon as the last of the students had taken their seats. "In fact, a good deal of it is identical to what information there is about other monsters, showing a distinct lack of imagination as well as misinformation. In one case, the werewolf (or 'wolfman', I am not sure of the difference, there) even rises from a grave during a full moon. Which technically makes the werewolf a zombie!"
Drac paused. "Hmm. That's the second reference... I think I will add Zombie to our syllabus. Possibly in place of Witch." Mental note made. Hopefully all the students made an actual note?
"Werewolves are depicted as being evil and eating humans and livestock... but beyond that, there isn't much in the stories about what werewolves do or did that humans fear and hate them."
Drac threw up his hands. "Werewolves have families, fall in love, make stupid decisions, hold jobs, laugh, swim, play pranks, cry, mourn, fall asleep in the middle of conversations, sometimes have fleas, have bad fashion sense... and look funny in orange. Seriously. If you have a werewolf friend, warn him or her against orange. Something about the fur. I don't get it, but it's true."
"There appear to be two different ideas of what a werewolf looks like. Some sources state a werewolf shifts into a larger than natural wolf, while others describe him as a mixture of wolf and human, that stands and walks on two (hind) legs."
"... well, to clear that up, here are some photographs from my personal album." and a slide show of photographs began that included various images of a male werewolf, definitely of the walking wolf-human mix, both alone and then later with a female werewolf who seemed to always be pregnant, and then several of kid werewolves of various ages.
Wayne, you should have helped Drac when he called, because that shot of you in Madrid in the swimsuit in 1892? Totally blown up and on public display.
"There are all the usual stories about how a werewolf can be killed. Humans fixate on that part of the lore, unfortunately, and most of the ways are accurate for any monster: if you bludgeon someone with a cane, for example, or shoot them." yadda yadda. Crazy humans fixated on murdering people... moving on.
"Other myths include how to prevent yourself from becoming a werewolf. This is interesting because for some reason, werewolves, according to human stories, can be 'cured' and turned into humans."
Here Drac stopped and gave the class a stare almost more serious than the one he gave any boy who talked to Mavis.
"This," his voice was strong and almost soothing, coaxing, "is something I have never heard of and do not at all encourage any of you to attempt. I am including this simply to give you an idea of the bias and misinformation that is out there. I do not condone any thought of a 'cure'; there is nothing to cure, you are who you are."
In other words 'DO NOT ATTEMPT' in big bold flashing letters. If he had to use his powers to hypnotize you and guarantee you'd never do these things, he would, okay?
"Some of the stories talk of curing a werewolf via a brain transplant, by calling it by it's name three times or scolding it. By the werewolf converting to Christianity. By drawing exactly three drops of blood from the werewolf, drinking the blood of a vampire - who thought of that one? - or the werewolf rolling in morning dew."
"That last, I can assure you from person experience, does nothing but produce a terrible smell and an irritated werewolf. And if scolding or bleeding or name calling made werewolves turn into humans, there would be a much smaller group of furry terrors calling me uncle Drac and ruining my curtains."
He was not going to even address the cures that included the killing of another werewolf, cutting off body parts, or mixing potions that listed poisons in the ingredients. He didn't trust the students that much to not try something. He pulled himself up and into his cape.
"Being shapeshifters, werewolves have the ability to appear human and can - and usually do - hide in plain sight as a human for most of their lives, often only returning to the shadows when necessary or to simply relax and be themselves. This doesn't mean they have an easy time of it. Many things still have to be kept hidden or changed in order to maintain their 'identity'. I recently phoned my friend Wayne for assistance in a, uh, small matter, and he was unable to even call me by name."
"To explore how difficult hiding in the open can be, today we are going to play a small game. I have here some cards with several words and phrases on them. I want you to get with your fellow students and attempt to have a conversation about lunch without using the terms on the cards."
"Human information about werewolves is not very consistent." Drac started as soon as the last of the students had taken their seats. "In fact, a good deal of it is identical to what information there is about other monsters, showing a distinct lack of imagination as well as misinformation. In one case, the werewolf (or 'wolfman', I am not sure of the difference, there) even rises from a grave during a full moon. Which technically makes the werewolf a zombie!"
Drac paused. "Hmm. That's the second reference... I think I will add Zombie to our syllabus. Possibly in place of Witch." Mental note made. Hopefully all the students made an actual note?
"Werewolves are depicted as being evil and eating humans and livestock... but beyond that, there isn't much in the stories about what werewolves do or did that humans fear and hate them."
Drac threw up his hands. "Werewolves have families, fall in love, make stupid decisions, hold jobs, laugh, swim, play pranks, cry, mourn, fall asleep in the middle of conversations, sometimes have fleas, have bad fashion sense... and look funny in orange. Seriously. If you have a werewolf friend, warn him or her against orange. Something about the fur. I don't get it, but it's true."
"There appear to be two different ideas of what a werewolf looks like. Some sources state a werewolf shifts into a larger than natural wolf, while others describe him as a mixture of wolf and human, that stands and walks on two (hind) legs."
"... well, to clear that up, here are some photographs from my personal album." and a slide show of photographs began that included various images of a male werewolf, definitely of the walking wolf-human mix, both alone and then later with a female werewolf who seemed to always be pregnant, and then several of kid werewolves of various ages.
Wayne, you should have helped Drac when he called, because that shot of you in Madrid in the swimsuit in 1892? Totally blown up and on public display.
"There are all the usual stories about how a werewolf can be killed. Humans fixate on that part of the lore, unfortunately, and most of the ways are accurate for any monster: if you bludgeon someone with a cane, for example, or shoot them." yadda yadda. Crazy humans fixated on murdering people... moving on.
"Other myths include how to prevent yourself from becoming a werewolf. This is interesting because for some reason, werewolves, according to human stories, can be 'cured' and turned into humans."
Here Drac stopped and gave the class a stare almost more serious than the one he gave any boy who talked to Mavis.
"This," his voice was strong and almost soothing, coaxing, "is something I have never heard of and do not at all encourage any of you to attempt. I am including this simply to give you an idea of the bias and misinformation that is out there. I do not condone any thought of a 'cure'; there is nothing to cure, you are who you are."
In other words 'DO NOT ATTEMPT' in big bold flashing letters. If he had to use his powers to hypnotize you and guarantee you'd never do these things, he would, okay?
"Some of the stories talk of curing a werewolf via a brain transplant, by calling it by it's name three times or scolding it. By the werewolf converting to Christianity. By drawing exactly three drops of blood from the werewolf, drinking the blood of a vampire - who thought of that one? - or the werewolf rolling in morning dew."
"That last, I can assure you from person experience, does nothing but produce a terrible smell and an irritated werewolf. And if scolding or bleeding or name calling made werewolves turn into humans, there would be a much smaller group of furry terrors calling me uncle Drac and ruining my curtains."
He was not going to even address the cures that included the killing of another werewolf, cutting off body parts, or mixing potions that listed poisons in the ingredients. He didn't trust the students that much to not try something. He pulled himself up and into his cape.
"Being shapeshifters, werewolves have the ability to appear human and can - and usually do - hide in plain sight as a human for most of their lives, often only returning to the shadows when necessary or to simply relax and be themselves. This doesn't mean they have an easy time of it. Many things still have to be kept hidden or changed in order to maintain their 'identity'. I recently phoned my friend Wayne for assistance in a, uh, small matter, and he was unable to even call me by name."
"To explore how difficult hiding in the open can be, today we are going to play a small game. I have here some cards with several words and phrases on them. I want you to get with your fellow students and attempt to have a conversation about lunch without using the terms on the cards."
Sign in!
During the lecture
If you want Drac to catch you not paying attention, please let me know :)
Unexpected Discussion
Game
For example, in an entire conversation about gardening, you cannot use the words PLANT or VEGETABLE or SUNLIGHT or ANY NAME OF ANY FRUIT and your conversation partner cannot use the the words SOIL or WATER or PLANT or ANY NAME OF A FLOWER.
--
The conversation topic is LUNCH.
Feel free to make up what words and terms are forbidden for your character to use! Threads can be messy or tidy!
After class: Private chats with Drac?
Okay, except "bluhblahbluh".
Chat with one of the TAs?
OOC
Re: Sign in!
Re: Sign in!
Re: Unexpected Discussion
"It's different if that's not what you really are inside."
Re: Sign in!
Re: Sign in!
Re: Game
This might be an interesting conversation.
Re: Sign in!
Re: Sign in!
Re: During the lecture
But he was definitely paying attention.
Re: Sign in!
Re: Sign in!
Re: Sign in!
Re: Unexpected Discussion
"Right... if it's not something you've always been, I could see why people might want to go back to what they know," Evan offered. "But in a lot of cases, using the word 'cure' kind of insinuates that something is wrong, that being what you are is like some sort of disease, and that's... kind of horrible."
You know. Kinda.
"Humanity has a pretty nasty history of trying to cure things about other people that weren't ever really diseases in the first place. Whether someone changes what they are should really be up to the discretion of the person doing the changing. What you said about what you really are inside... that's a huge part of it."
Re: Sign in!
Re: Unexpected Discussion
Re: Game
"Hey," she said, giving Victor a shy smile. "Glad class is almost over. I'm getting hungry, you?"
Re: Game
Re: Game