How to Make Friends and Influence People [Tuesday, March 11, 2014]

[sith_happened]

Anakin, who'd gotten a visual reminder of the time his son and Gavin Darklighter had thought they'd been Siegfried and Roy, not the most dignified island moment ever, might have let that influence the mood he was in when he'd programmed the Danger Shop.

"Welcome to Geonosis," he said with a wicked smile as each student found themselves handcuffed to a huge stone pillar in the middle of an arena. "Sometimes negotiations go poorly. In this case, they've gone straight to poodoo. You have thirty seconds before your captors will release an acklay--an image of a giant bug helpfully sprang to holographic life before them--"a nexu, and a reek."

More photos helpfully showed what was going to try to eat them.

"Working together, get out of the arena." Anakin smiled. "And girls, you have a hairpin inside your sleeves because when I was in this very same situation--" which said something about the poor choices Anakin had made in his life, "--my first wife was smart enough to have one in her sleeve and used it to pick the lock on her cuffs. I was too busy bickering with my teacher at the time to do something just as useful."

He smiled again. "Welcome to aggressive negotiations."

Comments

Sign in [3/11]

[sith_happened]

In mortal peril, wtf, Anakin.

Re: Sign in [3/11]

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Elsa of Arendelle

Re: Sign in [3/11]

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy Thompson

Re: Sign in [3/11]

[ultron_junior]

Victor Mancha

Get out of your handcuffs!

[sith_happened]

Or hope really loudly that one of your classmates knows how to get out of their handcuffs and can help you.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no. Elsa knew that this simulation couldn't hurt her by now, but she had no idea how to use a hairpin to pick a lock, and no inclination to let anybody get close enough to help her. She could struggle and strain at her bonds, but to no avail.

She was bound and determined to keep from panicking, but that was easier said than done. Regal poise. Hopefully nobody would notice if she was murmuring her 'Conceal, don't feel' mantra under her breath.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy dashed over, hairpin at the ready and ever so grateful that her fiance, Samuel, had taught her how to pick locks.

"Elsa! I can get you out of there!"

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Looks like a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into!" Joker called to her. "Unfortunately, the crowd doesn't seem swayed by your beauty. Clearly, there's something wrong with them!"

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy shifted in her clothes, pulled her paw out, shifted back, adjusted her clothes, and dashed to the closest classmate to try and give them a hand.

Took her about 2 seconds. 28 left to help out or climb up the pillar if no one needed her help.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

After his rousing speech, Joker gave Mercy a "Psssst!" and rattled his cuffs. "Help me, O beautiful were-fianceé! You're my only hope!"

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[ultron_junior]

See, if Victor knew he had powers, this one would be easy: He could manipulate the metal to let his wrists go about as easy as he could chew gum.

But at the moment he had no idea, so he was twisting his hands to try to pick the lock. He thought he was finally getting somewhere when the hairpin slipped from his hands.

And then there was a lot of Spanish cursing as he searched the floor for the pin. Not that he'd figured out how to pick it up without using his hands yet.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Open your hand," Elsa said gently, coming up from behind. "I can't touch you, and I don't know my way around those locks, but I can give you the pin back."

It was the best she could do, Victor. Maybe if this was an actual life-threatening situation, this would go differently. But as it stood...

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker looked hopefully at Skippy, who was handcuffed beside him. "Can't you, like, pick up a hairpin with your tail and use it to pick the locks?" he asked. The pyjak, of course, had no idea what Joker was asking -- and wouldn't have been able to, anyway -- and just let out a sad little moop. Joker sighed. "Cartoons have failed me."

If his omnitool had been more tricked out, he could (maybe) have used it to pick the locks himself -- but it wasn't. He wasn't helpless, though -- he still had his special superpower. He used the omnitool to amplify his voice as much as it could.

"PEOPLE OF GEONOSIS!" he shouted, addressing the crowd. "HEY! Stop cheering a sec and listen, dickbags! I sure hope your tickets were free, 'cause this is gonna be one hella disappointing show! I don't know what your leaders have promised you today, but we're a bunch of helpless kids! I mean, I'm a cripple, for goodness sake! What fun is it gonna be for you to watch us stand here and get slaughtered, huh? Are you here for a public execution, or are you here to be fucking entertained?!?! Am I right? Huh? So... Those animals they're gonna release -- wouldn't you rather they fight each other, instead of us? Or maybe those guards over there, with those actual fucking weapons? Isn't THAT the kind of show you're really here to see?!!? So who's with me? Who wants to see a real fight, with the animals versus the guards? Fight... the... guards! Fight... the... guards! Everybody, now! Fight... the... guards! Fight... the... guards! FIGHT... THE... GUARDS!"

It was worth a shot, anyway. The worst they could do was boo him, after all.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[failsatspirit]

Stone pillar. Earthbender. Three guesses what happened next.

Once Korra had cracked the stone around the pin fastening her cuffs to the pillar, it wasn't that much work to push her pillar down and across to try to block the giant toothy creatures' path some.

Well, maybe it was a lot of work if you weren't the Avatar, shh.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"YOU!" Joker shouted, excitedly. He started making his way over to her as fast as he could manage. "You are my new best friend!"

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[wildandbrave]

Yesterday, Cosette would have been helpless to get out of the handcuffs by herself, because yesterday, Cosette hadn't been from a reality wherein prisoner 9430's body was in fact recovered in the waters near the Orion on November 17, 1823.

Today, however, was a different story. Something as simple as picking a lock with a hairpin was child's play to a girl who had been, as she liked to joke, raised by wolves. The lock was a bit more complicated than she was accustomed to, but she still managed it in just under thirty seconds.

And immediately because ha ha still drowning in work looked for an escape, because the Thénardiers hadn't raised her to be altruistic.

Re: Get out of your handcuffs!

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

Jessica was a trained SHIELD agent with extreme flexibility. She was out of the cuffs in seconds without using her strength OR the hairpin. Her thumbs were a little sore afterwards, but it wasn't that bad.

Escape and kick ass!

[sith_happened]

Or get fake injured by the three giant beasties! Or climb to the top of your stone pillar and stay there! Or find a corner of the arena to hide in and write a nasty letter to Zoe about Anakin's idea of a learning experience!

Re: Escape and kick ass!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Climbing and running were COMPLETE non-starters, for Joker. He was lucky enough to have his crutches on the ground beside him. Instead, he stood defiantly in front of the pillar, with his feet and crutches planted firmly and his jaw set, while Skippy cowered behind him. It was just a simulation. He couldn't die in here. Hopefully, it wouldn't hurt to be eaten.

...Also, hopefully the room's safeguards would know to take his Vrolik's into account. He should actually check that out, sometime when he had the time. It would suck to be in here and have an attack that was supposed to not injure him at all accidentally break his ribs or something.

He furiously poked at his omnitool, trying to get the school's internet connection to let him through to whatever network existed in Professor Skywalker's galaxy. What were these animals? Did they have any weaknesses? Did they, say, have a natural predator whose scream was recorded and available for download?

Re: Escape and kick ass!

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

Did Jessica seem to have an easy time climbing? Maybe she was a skilled mountain climber. You can't say it wasn't possible!

Talk to Anakin!

[sith_happened]

Or yell. Yelling is an option today.

Re: Talk to Anakin!

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Of all of the people to approach Anakin to yell, did anybody suspect that Elsa would be one?

The air around her was a good several degrees cooler than the rest of the Danger Shop, and while she still had her hands pulled tightly to her chest, they were balled tightly into fists. Her brow was furrowed, and her voice was firm.

"Don't you ever put me in shackles like that again."

Seething Disney Princess, incoming.

Re: Talk to Anakin!

[sith_happened]

And it was a testament to his time in Fandom that he didn't immediately bristle at this affront to his questionable teaching style. "Oh?" he replied.

OOC

[sith_happened]

Tiger!

God, we were on good crack that night.

Re: OOC

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

I'm dying reading that!!!! That was the best thread ever! So many awesome memories! Poor Artoo!