http://drjcovington.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] drjcovington.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-09-06 09:10 pm
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Myth Into History, History Into Myth, Week 1: Reintroductions [Danger Shop, Thursday 1st Period]

When students arrived in the Danger Shop, they would find it set up to look like the interior of an old canvas tent -- not a pup tent, but the kind you would find at the base camp of an archaeological dig site from the late 1930s or early 1940s. Piles of crates lined the walls at varying degrees of dubious balance, and inexplicably a large Gatling gun (sans ammunition) stood on a tripod opposite the door. Next to the Gatling, behind a desk cluttered with artifacts and notes, sat Janice with her booted feet up on the desk, her fedora down over her eyes, and an unlit cigar clenched in her teeth.

"There you are," she said finally, once everyone was seated in the half circle of camp chairs at the center of the tent. "First things first. My name is Doctor Janice Covington, and the first person to call me Doc gets detention faster than I can crack a whip -- which, let me tell you, is pretty damned fast. I'm an archaeologist, in case you can't tell, and I'm here to teach you something about the myths and history of the ancient world. We'll be focusing mainly on Greece and Rome in this class, but some of the material will cover events in Gaul, the British Isles, Egypt, and even China. Come up at the end of class and pick up a packet with all the reading material you'll need for the semester. If you don't, you have no excuse."

She stood up and paced slowly around the tent, sizing up her students; God only knew how she managed to keep that cigar in her teeth and still speak fairly clearly around it. "Whatever you think you know about the ancient world? You're probably wrong. For centuries scholars have been missing a huge part of the puzzle. But thanks to my father's research, my partner Melinda Pappas and I have made a huge discovery that changes everything. Everything," she repeated, her toothy grin hinting at perhaps a slightly unbalanced psyche. She picked up a fragment of well-worn parchment and held it in both hands, almost reverently.

"This was the first piece my father found. The key to finding the last piece of the puzzle: the most important archaeological find of the century. Something that will revolutionize the way we look at the ancient world. It has the power to turn myth into history -- history into myth." The dramatic pause was, perhaps, a touch overdramatic. "This was the first fragment of the Xena Scrolls to be unearthed, and it tells the story of Xena's first encounter with her nemesis, the crazed warlord Callisto."

Janice handed the bit of parchment to the nearest student, along with a translation in Mel Pappas's impeccable hand. "It's only a virtual replica, but treat it with respect," she ordered.

Once the parchment had made its rounds, Janice tucked her thumbs into her belt and surveyed the class again before speaking. "So. We'll keep it pretty basic today. Who you are, when and where you're from, why you're in this class, and a brief rundown of what exactly you know so far about the myths and stories of this time period. After that, we've got a little activity to do."

Syllabus, Roster, and Class Info

[OOC: OCD is up. Have at!]
janet_fraiser: (hidden mirth)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-07 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Janet leaned over to Evie. "It's my fate in life to be surrounded by crazed archaeologists, isn't it?" she asked softly, grinning.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-07 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Evie looked up, blinking herself back to reality. "Oh, hullo, Janet." She turned a little red, thinking Janet was referring to her. "Only a *little* crazed. It's all so fascinating."

[ooc: back in 2 + hours!]
janet_fraiser: (exclamation!)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-07 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's certainly something," agreed Janet dryly.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-07 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm so far behind," Evie confessed. "It doesn't make much sense to me, but I have to believe I can catch up. And you know, Dr. Jackson is just as nice as you said he'd be." She bounced a little. "He helped me learn how to use a computer on Monday."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-07 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Dr. Jackson couldn't use a computer properly even if it saved his life," muttered Janet, who was still grouchy at him. "Don't worry, you'll catch up. You're not going to school just to find a husband; that's already a huge step into the modern age."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-07 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, true, but really, in my time, if you were seriously going to college, you *weren't* looking for a husband. It tended to affect your marriageability slightly negatively, in some circles," Evie said. "And Dr. Jackson also said he might be an advisor for an archaeology or anthropology club! I do hope he does. I really should join something, but this school has a rather intimidating array of activities."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
Depending on how with the times your husband was, it still could affect your marriageability. Not that Janet was bitter. Too much.

"I wouldn't be intimidated, not if I were you," said Janet. "Clubs are easy. Or you could get a TA assignment."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, no," Evie shook her head. "I'm not at all ready for that. But a club, that wouldn't be so bad. Do you belong to any?"
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I did I-Club and Gun Club last year," said Janet. "But it's my senior year. I'm cutting back on being an overachieving know-it-all. At least a little bit."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
Evie blinked, then smiled. "What's I-Club? I don't think I'd quite feel comfortable joining a gun club yet. I don't know anything about them."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
"Investigator's Club," said Janet. "It kind of fell by the wayside, though, once the vampires left town."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Vampires?" Evie stared at Janet, then laughed nervously. "Oh, you're joking. Ha ha!"
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Hey, I got attacked by one of those freaks," said Janet. "Trust me when I say I am so not kidding! Also, there was Angel. Vampire. Very close friend. And my neighbor. One who is more than due for a phone call explaining why we stay in touch with our best friends."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
Evie only followed about a third of this, but she did grasp the important parts: vampires gone. Vampires real, but gone. "And... you were friends with one? But they *are* all gone, aren't they?" Her eyes widened in distress. "And you're all right?"
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
"She bruised my ribs pretty badly," said Janet. "But I'm fine now. It was a while ago."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
"That's... good to be aware of." Evie nodded vehemently, and said, "They won't come back, will they? Because I've received many strange warnings this week, but this is the first time vampires were mentioned."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
"As far as I know, they're gone for good," said Janet. "Crazy Squid Lady and Darla were only here because Angel was here anyway, so now that he's gone, they have no reason to stick around."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Crazy Squid Lady." Evie gave her a Very Serious Look. "Is she related to the Crazy Hooker?"

Because it's been that kind of week.
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh!" Janet covered her mouth with her hand and looked abashed. "Drusilla. She had this giant squid as a pet, and she was completely insane. Hence the nickname."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Good lord. As a pet? I should think so," Evie said, blinking slightly. "So, not related, then. Tell me, are there a *lot* of crazy people on this Island? It's getting to be rather a trend."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, no, she wasn't insane because of the pet," said Janet. "She was insane because she was a homicidal nutjob with a daddy complex. But I haven't encountered that many crazy people. You have?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
"Daddy complex?" Really, so many things to look up, still. "I haven't met that many, just heard references to Becky the Crazy Hooker, and I don't even know the whys of that, and various mentions of past principals and current recklessness. It's beginning to worry me."
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Becky's nuts, but she can be--nice? It's hard to explain. And the daddy complex isn't precisely termed that. It's one of Freud's concepts." Janet grinned. "This whole place is nuts, really. But what's worrying you about it?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[identity profile] bookyeve.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
"So much to adjust to, so quickly," Evie said, voicing some of the exhaustion she'd been feeling that week. "Ninety years into the future. In America. Magic is real. Boys can kiss boys. Outer-space aliens go to my school. Most of hte boys here are Greek gods. Everyone has a double, including me, and there's this bizarre obscene attractive photography anyone can view on the internet!"

She gulped.
janet_fraiser: (Default)

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Etc.

[personal profile] janet_fraiser 2006-09-08 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Most of the boys here aren't Greek gods, trust me," said Janet, nodding. "You should've met Cal. Callisto, the warlord that Dr. Covington brought up. She had a lot to say about the Greek gods, and none of it was complimentary."

Then Janet frowned. "Wait, you have a double? Who is she?"

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