Liliana Vess (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deathsmajesty) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2025-09-11 01:34 am
deathsmajesty) wrote in fandomhigh2025-09-11 01:34 am
Entry tags:
Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, Thursday, Per 3
Class had been instructed to meet in the Danger Shop for the remainder of the semester, though when they walked in, they'd see it was set to the 'standard classroom' configuration. In fact, Liliana had no plans that required the Danger Shop at all today, but her planned classes included a mix of lectures and practical 'experiences.' And since it would be very obvious what type of class she had planned if they only ever met in the Danger Shop on practical days, they'd be meeting in the Danger Shop regardless of what type of class was on the agenda.
"Welcome back," Liliana said once class had begun. "We deviated from tradition last week by not having introductions--" which she generally considered a waste of class time anyway "--because it would have done us no good to attempt to affix names to faces when we all looked like ponies. Which means we're doing them this week. Please state your name, a useful skill set you believe you would bring to a post-apocalyptic community, and at least one way that either media or your own experience has taught you to kill, avoid, or fend off zombies. As I will then be explaining whether or not that course of action would be effective, at least against my types of ghouls, I would highly encourage you all to listen to one another's introductions. I'll give you this one for free, though: shooting a zombie in the brain? Isn't going to stop a single one."
Once that fun little round robin of class interaction was over, Liliana continued her lecture. "Today, we're going to be discussing the structure of the class. As was mentioned last week, this class is going to be more of a hands-on approach to surviving a post-apocalyptic scenario, one that involved an uprising of the undead. In it, you will be given different scenarios and objectives, and then it will be up to your various skills, tactics, and planning to survive. Hopefully, through these classes, you will either develop or further hone your ability to think quickly, to be decisive, to adapt, to communicate, and to cooperate. As this is a post-zombie apocalypse, zombies will likely be present as an environmental hazard if nothing else, adding additional obstacles and time pressures. That being said, the focus of the class is primarily "how can I and possibly others survive?" not "how can I fix this whole scenario?" I'm not saying you won't have opportunities to end the zombie menace, at least for the duration of a class period, but I would advise you not to expect them." But it did sometimes make for an important friction point: attempt the sure thing that will increase your odds of survival, or attempt the very risky thing that may solve everything...or may leave you in an even more precarious position than you were in before.
"Now, a note about powers. Some of you have them. Some of you have powers that are particularly useful for this type of class even, even. I am not going to forbid you from using them. I am however, going to institute a rule that you are not allowed to use your powers on behalf of anybody else. Your powers can serve you and you alone. If what you're going to do will directly benefit anybody beyond yourself, do not do it. I am not intending to hamstring teamwork, but I want you all to get a better idea of what you, personally, are capable of.
"Honestly, if this were a real post-apocalyptic scenario, the smartest thing to do would be to have Summer use her portal gun to get you off the island, or, say, have Illyana teleport necessary supplies back to survivors. And, if there is a real emergency and you don't take the fastest option to remove yourself to safety and die to stupid heroics instead, I will be very cross with you and will give genuine consideration to raising you back up long enough to blister your ears with a lecture." Was she looking very hard at one Mr. Jonathan Sims at that? If he was present, then yes she absolutely was.
"But, as tactically sound as those options are, they don't actually teach anything. We are simulating dangerous situations now so that if you find yourself in real danger in the future, you have better odds of surviving, even if you don't have access to helpful magics or advanced technology. It is for that reason that I'm also suggesting people with powers minimize usage even on their own behalf, at least if you are trained and confident in them. Again, that isn't something I will be enforcing, nor will it have an effect on your grade, but this is an opportunity to learn, which means trying things you are not already proficient at. I will be much less impressed by someone who can breeze through a scenario because they have the right combination of gadgets, powers, and/or technology than by someone who failed it, but demonstrated creativity, effort, or learning. Any questions?"
"Welcome back," Liliana said once class had begun. "We deviated from tradition last week by not having introductions--" which she generally considered a waste of class time anyway "--because it would have done us no good to attempt to affix names to faces when we all looked like ponies. Which means we're doing them this week. Please state your name, a useful skill set you believe you would bring to a post-apocalyptic community, and at least one way that either media or your own experience has taught you to kill, avoid, or fend off zombies. As I will then be explaining whether or not that course of action would be effective, at least against my types of ghouls, I would highly encourage you all to listen to one another's introductions. I'll give you this one for free, though: shooting a zombie in the brain? Isn't going to stop a single one."
Once that fun little round robin of class interaction was over, Liliana continued her lecture. "Today, we're going to be discussing the structure of the class. As was mentioned last week, this class is going to be more of a hands-on approach to surviving a post-apocalyptic scenario, one that involved an uprising of the undead. In it, you will be given different scenarios and objectives, and then it will be up to your various skills, tactics, and planning to survive. Hopefully, through these classes, you will either develop or further hone your ability to think quickly, to be decisive, to adapt, to communicate, and to cooperate. As this is a post-zombie apocalypse, zombies will likely be present as an environmental hazard if nothing else, adding additional obstacles and time pressures. That being said, the focus of the class is primarily "how can I and possibly others survive?" not "how can I fix this whole scenario?" I'm not saying you won't have opportunities to end the zombie menace, at least for the duration of a class period, but I would advise you not to expect them." But it did sometimes make for an important friction point: attempt the sure thing that will increase your odds of survival, or attempt the very risky thing that may solve everything...or may leave you in an even more precarious position than you were in before.
"Now, a note about powers. Some of you have them. Some of you have powers that are particularly useful for this type of class even, even. I am not going to forbid you from using them. I am however, going to institute a rule that you are not allowed to use your powers on behalf of anybody else. Your powers can serve you and you alone. If what you're going to do will directly benefit anybody beyond yourself, do not do it. I am not intending to hamstring teamwork, but I want you all to get a better idea of what you, personally, are capable of.
"Honestly, if this were a real post-apocalyptic scenario, the smartest thing to do would be to have Summer use her portal gun to get you off the island, or, say, have Illyana teleport necessary supplies back to survivors. And, if there is a real emergency and you don't take the fastest option to remove yourself to safety and die to stupid heroics instead, I will be very cross with you and will give genuine consideration to raising you back up long enough to blister your ears with a lecture." Was she looking very hard at one Mr. Jonathan Sims at that? If he was present, then yes she absolutely was.
"But, as tactically sound as those options are, they don't actually teach anything. We are simulating dangerous situations now so that if you find yourself in real danger in the future, you have better odds of surviving, even if you don't have access to helpful magics or advanced technology. It is for that reason that I'm also suggesting people with powers minimize usage even on their own behalf, at least if you are trained and confident in them. Again, that isn't something I will be enforcing, nor will it have an effect on your grade, but this is an opportunity to learn, which means trying things you are not already proficient at. I will be much less impressed by someone who can breeze through a scenario because they have the right combination of gadgets, powers, and/or technology than by someone who failed it, but demonstrated creativity, effort, or learning. Any questions?"
Re: Introductions If We Must
Excuse her while she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, those are mutants and not zombies, but they shared a lot of similarities, and I've dealt with a lot other fucked up things I've had to fight my out of before that can track onto this kind of thing, too. I probably prefer a laser gun as a weapon of choice, but I'm also pretty good with an axe, a pitchfork, a spear, a sword, Honey Badger claws, cross bow, bow and arrows, and honestly? Just straight up choking a bitch out. And, yes, as Liliana said, I usually have a portal gun that can get me out of a lot of jams pretty quickly, too. But I'd say my favorite way to deal with a zombie horde would probably just be running them the fuck over with some tricked oit Road Warrior style vehicle."
She paused, to take a breath.
"Preferably with flamethrowers."
Re: Introductions If We Must
Did she look like someone who would enjoy losing modern amenities? There was a reason she was avoiding Innistrad until her manor was repaired at the very least.
"Why a flamethrower, darling?"
Re: Introductions If We Must
"Most organic material burns, doesn't it?" she asked/answered, feeling that it was pretty obvious, tbh.
Re: Introductions If We Must
[Warning! Discussion of corpses and burning below!]
"Most organic matter burns, yes," Liliana said. "But, like most facile answers, it does not particularly address the reality of the the subject. Even just at it's most basic, different organic materials burn at different temperatures depending what it's made of. For example, paper catches fire at 451 degrees, while it takes temperatures between five to six hundred for wood to ignite, and both those numbers vary with things like moisture. Dry wood catches fire easier than wet, yes? Therefore, already, you would need different temperatures of flame to deal with bodies that were in the process of decomposition versus bodies that were mummified for example."
Was she still going? Yup!
"Except bodies are not flammable. Clothing can. Hair can. But at no point does a body ever ignite like a piece of paper. What you're hoping will happen is that something on the body will catch fire and burn long enough and hot enough for the body to char. Now, there is the wick effect, wherein the subcutaneous fat of body on fire melts, soaks into their clothing, and that causes the body to act like a candle, burning at a relatively low temperature. The wick effect can fully burn a body to ashes, but it takes place over hours, while the body remains still and unmoving. In order for the proteins to actually denaturize, you need a sustainable fire that burns roughly 750 to 800 hundred degrees. For reference, the red flames around a campfire are about 600 or so degrees. For the wick effect to burn a body to the point where the extremities are gone, it will take roughly an hour. For the body to go become mostly ash, it's closer to ninety minutes.
"So, if you want to burn an entire body, you need to make sure that it has something that can ignite, like hair or clothing. You also then need to make sure that the body remains on fire, because if you simply set flame to cloth or hair, it will burn itself out very quickly; they both catch fire at much lower temperatures. Cloth burns at around 450 degrees, hair at around 300 degrees." Synthetic fibers required much hotter temperatures, but they didn't burn, they melted, not that Liliana knew any of that. "Your best bet is to also make sure the body remains still. A mobile body not only results in lower heat, but also runs the risk of putting the fire out. And, since it can take up to an hour for a body to fully break down, spreading fires to things that are flammable, like buildings."
She took another second to consider. "I don't know how hot flamethrowers get, but even if it is hot enough to immediately induce the wick effect without somehow flash-incinerating the ignitable materials, but either, you will be spending a great deal of time and fuel incinerating bodies into ash all in one go, or you will be making incredible walking torches that last..." She shrugged picking a number out of the air. "Let's assume ten to fifteen minutes before they fall apart? Either way, that hardly sounds...efficient."
[My search history is fucked forever!]