Liam Kincaid (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
firstofitskind) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-05-13 10:53 pm
firstofitskind) wrote in fandomhigh2018-05-13 10:53 pm
Entry tags:
Climbing and Caving, Monday
When the students entered the classroom, they'd find their teacher standing at the front, by a table full of helmets of various sizes with lights mounted on the front, as well as an array of flashlights and matches.
Liam had never imagined that he would ever be in the position of a teacher. Technically speaking, he'd never had the leisure to imagine being anything at all, having stepped into his first job mere hours after being born. But if Fandom was good for anything, it was new experiences. So here he was. In front of a class full of students. A little nervous, but not letting anything about his expression or mannerisms betray as much.
"Hi," he greeted them all, once the number of people in the room matched the number of people on his attendance list. "This is my first time teaching any sort of class, but if I'm given to understand the radio broadcasts, the first week is usually full of introductions. So I'll start with myself: My name is Liam Kincaid, I used to be- well, I suppose the closest definition would be a bodyguard of sorts, and currently I'm the Sheriff in town. Neither of which have anything at all to do with this course, but since you all have to share a little bit about yourselves, I figured I'd return the favor. I'm teaching this course because caving is something I've enjoyed since-" a slight pause, there, "- well, my mother was an expert caver, and it's something she passed on to me." In a slightly more literal sense than how most children learned from their parents. "From you I'd like name, class, if you've got any experience with either mountain climbing or caving, and what prompted you to take this class, regardless of whether you have experience or not. Why don't you start," he instructed, pointing at a student at random.
Once the introductions were finished, he continued: "This class will involve a combination of Danger Shop scenarios and real-world field trips. While the former will have safety measures programmed in to the scenarios, with the latter, safety depends entirely on your behavior and level of preparation. Responsible caving is a team activity, and not a competition, so don't worry about being the first or the fastest, or jumping down heights you shouldn't. If you want to be reckless on your own time, I'm not your parent, so I'm not going to tell you not to, but I won't tolerate it in this class. As for preparation... each of you is going to need to pick out a helmet, as well as take a flashlight and matches. You're expected to bring these to every class. Yes, even if you don't think you need a helmet." Sure, at least one of the students looked distinctively non-squishy, but Liam wasn't about to take any chances. Sorry Peridot. At least the light on the helmet was useful?
"The flashlight and matches are because you should always have backup sources of light. If you wear clothing, make sure it's in layers and ideally waterproof. As well as a sturdy pair of gloves and hiking boots if you have them. If you don't, you should be able to pick them up at one of the clothing stores in town." Here, at least, he was willing to make concessions for those who didn't usually need protective clothing. "A water bottle is always a good idea, if you drink water, and you might want to bring a camera to record anything of interest. Which leads me to the cardinal rules of caving:
Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints
Kill nothing but time."
"And speaking of time," he said with a smile. "Ours is up for today. I'll see you all next week, and don't forget to bring your equipment."
Liam had never imagined that he would ever be in the position of a teacher. Technically speaking, he'd never had the leisure to imagine being anything at all, having stepped into his first job mere hours after being born. But if Fandom was good for anything, it was new experiences. So here he was. In front of a class full of students. A little nervous, but not letting anything about his expression or mannerisms betray as much.
"Hi," he greeted them all, once the number of people in the room matched the number of people on his attendance list. "This is my first time teaching any sort of class, but if I'm given to understand the radio broadcasts, the first week is usually full of introductions. So I'll start with myself: My name is Liam Kincaid, I used to be- well, I suppose the closest definition would be a bodyguard of sorts, and currently I'm the Sheriff in town. Neither of which have anything at all to do with this course, but since you all have to share a little bit about yourselves, I figured I'd return the favor. I'm teaching this course because caving is something I've enjoyed since-" a slight pause, there, "- well, my mother was an expert caver, and it's something she passed on to me." In a slightly more literal sense than how most children learned from their parents. "From you I'd like name, class, if you've got any experience with either mountain climbing or caving, and what prompted you to take this class, regardless of whether you have experience or not. Why don't you start," he instructed, pointing at a student at random.
Once the introductions were finished, he continued: "This class will involve a combination of Danger Shop scenarios and real-world field trips. While the former will have safety measures programmed in to the scenarios, with the latter, safety depends entirely on your behavior and level of preparation. Responsible caving is a team activity, and not a competition, so don't worry about being the first or the fastest, or jumping down heights you shouldn't. If you want to be reckless on your own time, I'm not your parent, so I'm not going to tell you not to, but I won't tolerate it in this class. As for preparation... each of you is going to need to pick out a helmet, as well as take a flashlight and matches. You're expected to bring these to every class. Yes, even if you don't think you need a helmet." Sure, at least one of the students looked distinctively non-squishy, but Liam wasn't about to take any chances. Sorry Peridot. At least the light on the helmet was useful?
"The flashlight and matches are because you should always have backup sources of light. If you wear clothing, make sure it's in layers and ideally waterproof. As well as a sturdy pair of gloves and hiking boots if you have them. If you don't, you should be able to pick them up at one of the clothing stores in town." Here, at least, he was willing to make concessions for those who didn't usually need protective clothing. "A water bottle is always a good idea, if you drink water, and you might want to bring a camera to record anything of interest. Which leads me to the cardinal rules of caving:
Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints
Kill nothing but time."
"And speaking of time," he said with a smile. "Ours is up for today. I'll see you all next week, and don't forget to bring your equipment."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Peridot squinted sideways at Tip, considering that for a moment.
"I'm willing to try that. So, how do you put it on over..." She gestured up at her hair.
It was a lot of hair.
She couldn't actually reach the top of it with her wee little arms.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"I'd appreciate it, actually," she replied, wide-eyed. "I've never had an appearance modifier that was supposed to fit so snugly to my head. I'm not a Jasper."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
It was almost like a solid block. She hoped she didn't break too many hair ties trying this.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
At least her hair was a somewhat flexible solid block? Not so flexible that it didn't pop right back into place after it was moved around, mind.
"They have hair," Peridot corrected, "And a lot of it. But one of their weapons of choice is a sort of battering ram... helmet... thing."
Based on everything she knew about the one Jasper she'd ever really worked with for any amount of time.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Not with each other," Peridot replied, sitting patiently while Tip arranged her hair. "They'll use it against other Gems, ones that the Diamonds want shattered. Or in battle."
Still generally against other Gems.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
“Sounds.... fierce,” Tip said, watching as Peridot’s hair sprang back into shape, catapulting her hair tie into space. “Do Peridots come with special defensive measures, or are Kindergartens usually non-combat zones?”
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Our limb enhancers would provide those," Peridot replied. "Anti-gravity beams and advanced escape capabilities." She sighed wistfully. "I could fly with those. Or run right up the side of a cliff wall. Or gather energy to fire back at anything threatening me."
Those were the days.
"These days, all I can really do is..." She held up a finger and floated the hair elastic back by the little metal clasp keeping it held together.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Only with metal," Peridot sighed, though there was some pride in that all the same. "And I only learned about it last year."
Which meant a few thousand years of having no clue."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Okay, but then that means it's not a thing that they thought Peridots could do, right? Or that they thought you'd need? So that just makes it extra special."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Peridot frowned.
"More likely, it's something they didn't want us to know we could do. We're made to particular specifications. So either we can all do it and it was kept from us, or I'm an off-color."
And would have been shattered for realizing it anyway.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Tip snorted. "Stop trying to come up with excuses for you not being special," she said, making another attempt to smooth Peridot's hair down, this time skipping the hair tie and just jamming the helmet onto Peridot's head as quickly as possible before it could spring back into shape. "You're special and if they try to come shatter you you'll have a whole army of non-gems to help fight them off."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"I'm special," Peridot echoed, turning a sideways look at Tip. And then, after a moment, she smiled a little. "I like saying that."
It was a lot better than her 'objectively inferior' upbringing.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Tip beamed. "I thought you might. I'm guessing you haven't had a lot of chance to be one of a kind."
What with her having a cut and facet number instead of what most humanoids thought of as a name.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
So weird.
"Do you suppose this is secure enough?"
It wasn't like she had a skull to crack or anything, so she was more worried about losing it than she was about getting hurt. But it was good to be sure.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"We might want to rig up some kind of chin strap to be sure," Tip said. She had visions of it catapulting off and hitting someone else, or breaking an ancient formation or something. "But I think it's pretty good. You look very dashing."
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Dashing," Peridot echoed, and then she puffed her little chest out a little. "I've never looked dashing before."
She had no idea what that word meant. But it was probably good.
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
"Not that you know of, anyway," Tip teased. She used her hair tie to pull her own hair into two low poofs, then pulled on her own helmet. "What do you think, are we adventure ready?"
Re: Listen to the Lecture!
Peridot considered their respective helmet situations before giving a decisive nod and a thumbs-up.
"Perfectly ready for adventure."
With extra head lamps.