Fandom High School

Today the Danger Shop was set up as a large practice space with a number of different stations set up around the room.

"Good afternoon," Bond said. "We've come to the end of our time together, which means it's time for your finals. Now, since it would be unreasonable of me to expect you to have gained proficiency in all of the weapons we've covered over the last few months, instead your final is going to involve some flexibility. I would like each of you to demonstrate what you've learnt with which item you feel you've gained the most skill with. Accordingly there are ranges for those wishing to take the final with ranged weapons, dummies and generated sparring partners for more up close fighting. Those of you feel sufficiently knowledgeable may also go up against either a willing classmate, or myself for an extra challenge."

[Class Roster]

The Danger Shop looked...odd, today. Half the room was the gym area that had shown up before, with its padded floors and training dummies, the other half was, frankly, a mess. A wide alleyway and plaza filled with all kinds of random objects, from tools to sports equipment, to assorted kitchenware, and various other bits and bobs. As each student entered, Bond handed them a blindfold.

"Today we'll be looking at improvised weapons," Bond said, after the class had finished arriving and he'd greeted them. "This exercise isn't exactly throwing you in the deep end, but it's close enough. How it's going to work is relatively simple, I want you to find an object you think you can use as a weapon in that section of the shop, then test it out on one or more of the dummies in this section, after which I want you to consider how effective a weapon it actually was, as well as try to think of ways you could improve on it in a pinch, then if you have time you can repeat the process with something else."

But because there was always a catch. "However to help provide an approximation of the kind of constraints you'd usually be under if this was really happening, you'll have to first put your blindfold on before you enter that side of the room, once there I will signal you to remove them, then you'll have somewhere between fifteen and thirty seconds to choose something, which would likely be longer than you'd have in that situation."

[Class Roster]

Good news, everybody! Your teacher wasn't a ballet dancer any more. He was, however, decidedly more female than usual.

"Good afternoon, class," Jemma greeted them, smiling. "Now in light of all the strangeness going on, I figured that it might be better if we just kicked back and watch something a bit interesting instead."

[Class Roster]

Today the Danger Shop was set up as an outdoor field, with a line drawn in the grass at one end, and hay bales with targets pinned to them set up at the other. On Bond's side of the line, there were a number of bows as well as protective equipment.

"Good afternoon," Bond greeted them. "Now today we'll be looking at archery, the bow and arrow being one of the oldest forms of weapons developed by humans, though the style of bow you'll be using today is in fact a little over half a century old, chosen largely because it requires less force to hold at full draw. That said, those of you in the class already familiar with using a bow can use whichever style of bow they're most familiar with."

He then went on to explain the proper stance to use, as well as various methods of drawing and aiming a bow.

"One final not before you begin," Bond said. "I expect you to use similar precautions with these as you would with a firearm. I realise the films tend to show arrows as less than dangerous, but there's a reason the English won at Agincourt."

[Class Roster]

Bond had emailed his students to meet him in the preserve, where he directed them to racks of safety googles and masks, well as piles of overalls in blue and yellow.

"Good afternoon," he said. "In light of this weekend, we'll be having a less serious class this week for two reasons, one being that it's a good idea to avoid using weapons while in emotional distress whenever possible, and two, I often find that shooting things makes me feel better." And of Bond's three preferred coping mechanisms, it was the one least likely to get him in trouble for sharing with students.

"So, paintball, I'll give you five minutes to get ready, another five to get into the preserve and spread out a bit and then you can spend the rest of class shooting each other."

[Class Roster]

They were back in a simulated shooting range again this week, but the counters were gone, with sandbags in their place, the targets were further back, and instead of pistols, there were rifles set out instead.

"Good afternoon," Bond greeted them. "Now last week I mentioned that pistol shooting utilises a somewhat different skill set to using other firearms, as a case in point we're going to be working with sniper rifles today. Now while a handgun is likely to be used as a relatively short-range weapon, and is easier to carry and conceal than larger weapons, a sniper rifle is used for accurate shots over large ranges, achieving these objectives through use of telescopic sights and engineering for precision. While using both kind of firearms requires a steady hand and a good eye, a sniper must also be able to take a number of other factors, such as wind speed and direction, into account to be able to make their shot, and as well as often requiring patience and the ability to select an ideal location to shoot from, though we won't go into those last two today."

He then went on to explain the working of the rifles, including how to properly operate the bolt action and read the sight, before demonstrating how to aim and fire the weapon from a prone position.

"Now for the most part the range has been set up as optimal conditions, that is to say no wind to take into account, but there is a section," Bond indicated a few of the farther lanes, "...with less favourable wind conditions for those who feel up to a challenge or who just want to see the effect."

[Class Roster]

The crash mats from last week were making another appearance today, not so much the weapons stations though.

"Good afternoon," Bond greeted the class once they'd finished arriving. "Before we get started on working with weapons, we'll first be looking at unarmed hand to hand combat. Now, we won't be looking at any particular martial art in particular, as far too many to count have evolved across the course of history each with their own focus and techniques, and finding one suitable for the class as a whole would be an exercise in futility. Instead we're going to be covering a range of basic skills, and I would advise anyone who wishes to gain more extensive training to find a form that plays to their individual strengths and weaknesses."

"Now, most martial arts focus on strikes, grappling, or a combination of the two," he said, going on to explain and demonstrate the various forms each could take. "But it's also important to know how to take a punch, or avoid one in the first place, being able to throw the stronger punch does you little good if your opponent is quick enough on their feet to wear you down before you can land a single blow."

"Now, I'd like you to split up into three groups depending on your familiarity with unarmed fighting and find a partner within your group to spar with."

[Class Roster]

Bond had his class meet him in the Danger Shop, which looked close enough to the salle that the students might wonder why they weren't there instead.

"Good afternoon," Bond began once they'd all arrived. "I see a few familiar faces but for those of you who haven't taken any of my classes before, I'm Professor Bond, this class is Armed and Dangerous, and over the next few months we'll be covering various kinds of armed and unarmed combat. Which means a few points of order. One, I expect you to wear appropriate clothing for this class, which for the foreseeable future means loose, comfortable clothes you can easily move in, and closed toe shoes, as well as trying to avoid any jewellery that might catch. Two, while any weapons you use in this class will most likely be simulated, you will treat them with the same respect you would the real thing. I have no objections to those with experience showing off what they know, but no shooting apples off anyone's head or games of pinfinger."

"Speaking of experience, it's time for introductions, name, year, and what level of experience you have with fighting and with what weapons, if any, so that I can get an idea of where you all stand. If there's any weapon you have a burning desire to learn about, mention that as well and we'll see what happens."

[Class Roster]