[FIELD CLASS] The Theory of Existential Crisis | WRAP PG3!

[Dragain]

[Look below]  

[Dragain]

"Ah, welcome back," Malcolm had somehow managed to set up a small, portable table while the students were gone. A cage, partially covered by a piece of black cloth, had been placed on the table. There was movement and soft, growling noises coming from within, "Come closer if you can't see this, but this minipet here-" He lifted the cloth a little, exposing a creature with the head of a lion, and the body of an ox inside the cage, "-is a Nian. A few weeks ago, many humans in the human world celebrated a festival meant to welcome their New Year, and these minipets started appearing all over the place."

He moved his hand away from the cloth, letting it drape over the cage once again, "A very long time ago, humans feared the Nian as it would leave its home on the mountains at midnight once a year, towards the end of winter when food was scarce, to go into human villages, and devour everything they could find. That all changed when the humans figured out the Nian's weaknesses - the color red, fire, and noises. Since then, humans made it a part of their New Year celebrations to use red decorations, and set off firecrackers in order to ward off the Nian. In fact, the Nian had long been regarded as just a legend... Which would not be that bad if humans were actually still frightened by the tale."

He glanced briefly at the cage before looking at the students again, as if trying to think of how he could simplify his explanation; it had been a while since he tried to lecture anyone, after all. He was more of a hands on kind of person. To buy himself more time - not that he was ever going to admit it - he gave each student a piece of black cloth, "Go check your traps, and I'll continue my explanation after you get back. If you got a Nian minipet, cover the cage with the cloth before moving them here. It'll calm them down since they are more used to the darkness than the light. If you didn't catch anything, you may move your cage, and wait for a Nian to wander in."

OOC INSTRUCTIONS

- You have 36 hours!
- Latecomers are welcomed; just have them walking in at this point in time so they don't miss the explanation.
- Latecomers have to do the activity; RP them getting a cage, and setting it up + wait for the Nian to wander in.
- Use the form till you catch a Nian.

Follow the following steps
1. Roll 1d6, and depending on which trapping spot you chose...

1. In a bush where red berries are growing --> Get 1-2 to catch a Nian
   
2. In a bush near a sandy area. --> Get 1-3 to catch a Nian
   
3. In a bush under the shade of a tree. --> Get 1-4 to catch a Nian
   
4. In a bush near a rocky formation. --> Get 1-6 to catch a Nian

2. If you did not catch a Nian, you can choose to:
-- Move the cage, and roll again using the new die. Roll until a Nian is caught.
-- Do not move the cage, and just roll again using the same die. Roll until a Nian is caught.

3. If you caught a Nian, RP finding it in your cage, putting the black cloth over the cage, and carrying the cage to Malcolm.

[color=orange][b]I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD![/b][/color]
[size=11][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Current trapping spot:[/b] (If you moved, just put something like [i]4 - moved from 2[/i])

[b]Caught a Nian?:[/b] Yes/No[/size]

 

[prolixity]

Siddie made a soft, pleased sound and clasped her hands together when the Nian was revealed. She listened attentively to the short lecture and accepted the drape, then trotted back to check her trap. It had triggered without catching its target, but she was used to resetting traps; she placed the trigger and baited the trap again.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Obsidian
Current trapping spot: 3

Caught a Nian?: No  

[prolixity]

Siddie heard her trap go off from the spot nearby to which she'd withdrawn to wait. When she checked it, though, she found that it was another false alarm. At least the trap being set off was a good sign. It meant that she'd picked a good spot, and the rest of the job would be accomplished through patience.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Obsidian
Current trapping spot: 3

Caught a Nian?: No  

[prolixity]

This time, when she heard the trap and checked its contents, Siddie found a Nian hunched growling and resentful inside the cage. It snapped its jaws at her. She unfolded the cloth and draped it over the box to help calm the minipet down. The growling continued, but the cloth concealed the placement of her hands; she wouldn't get bitten, at least.

She carried the cage back to Professor Malcom. "I've got one," she reported. "Professor, were Nians more than minipets in the past, when humans genuinely feared them?"

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Obsidian
Current trapping spot: 3

Caught a Nian?: Yes

Dragain

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Xaejil listening attentively but wasn't too impressed with the Nian or it's story. They weren't very intelligent if some noises and colors could scare them off, but then again they were lowly minipets now.

She returned to her cage and peered at it curiously. Already a Nian was bristling and growling inside the trap and Jil couldn't help but smirk at the creature and wiggle her finger at it (which it snapped at).

She draped her black cloth over the cage, picked it up, and took it to the teacher.

"I've also got one, sir." She said politely, eyeing Siddie as if she may be some sort of threat.



I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Xaejil
Current trapping spot: 4

Caught a Nian?: Yes

dragain

prolixity

 

[Dragain]

"Thank you. And they were. Or rather, they still are," Malcolm replied as he took the cage from Siddie, taking his time to put the cage down under the makshift table, and adjust the cloth covering it. The cage Xaejil brought over was also taken into custody after he muttered a 'thank you', and stacked on top of the cage Siddie brought, "Last I checked, Nians still exist in Halloween, although they were certainly more widespread centuries ago. What humans feared in the past, and what humans fear now differ quite greatly. For example, I believe there was a period of time in Halloween history where witches thrived due to widespread fear of witchcraft in the human world. It was followed by a period where grim reapers found many wandering ghosts, often victims who were drowned or burned; these ghosts could not be put to rest as they suffered great grievances when they were alive. Of course, once the fear of witchcraft died down in the human world, the influence of witches gradually declined until the last few decades, when something seemed to have brought them back, somewhat."

He paused briefly, "You asked an excellent question. In fact, it ties in really well to what the Theory of Existential Crisis is about. I'll explain more once all your classmates are back."

Prolixity

iloveyouDIE

 

[Smerdle]

For all of the subjects Bren pondered on a day to day basis, he had never thought extensively about his own mortality. Sure, he had researched many enchantments intended to grant their wielders temporary invisibility, invincibility, or other protection, but if no one believed in his kind anymore, if the humans' fear of magic atrophied and died, no number of charms would save him.

He headed off to check his trap, mild confusion marring his features. Who was really afraid of magic anyway, especially the slow and faulty sort he commanded? If he hadn't turned into a minipet yet, maybe he never would.

Bren crouched close to his trap, falling back to sit in the sand when he was greeted by a hiss. It seemed he had caught a Nian of his very own. Now what was he meant to do again? Sneaking a covert glance at his classmates, Brenley realized he had neglected to grab a black cloth off of Malcolm. The boil hurried back over to their instructor, retrieving what he was missing and draping his cage in record time. The Nian was silent once he did so, and he brought the cage over to the gathered students without incident.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Brenley
Current trapping spot: 2

Caught a Nian?: Yes  

[phantompanther13]

Trisha grinned and tossed Mayaa up onto her back, she was a horse now. Well not really, but they had hooves too. Clop clop clop.


A Nain?!!!!!! Trisha stared at the Mini and Little imaginary hearts floated above her head. It was love at first sight, she needed... neeeeeeeeded one.

"I must have one." she said to Mayaa after the lecture was over.She walked back and then stared at the red berries. No this would not do at all.

"Red Berries not good. Must find dark place." Trisha was a ghoul with a mission, and that mission was to find a Nain. She picked up her cage, whole, no need to disassemble it, and walked off carrying it instead of Mayaa over her shoulder. In fact Mayaa might have been left in the ghoul's dust, as she had a single track mind when it came to this mini. Must make new friend.

[A.V.]

Sorry, but Nain.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Trisha
Current trapping spot: 1

Caught a Nian?: No  

[phantompanther13]

Trisha moved to the shade of a tree. Oh much much better. It was dark and quiet and perfect. She huddled behind a rock and waited. It wasn't long before a Nain appeared and click, was caught in her trap. Trisha was now a master trapper!

"I Caught one!" she said rather loudly, and then covered her mouth as the Nain got more agitated. "I mean... I caught one." she whispered and covered the cage.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Trisha
Current trapping spot: 3, moved from 1

Caught a Nian?: Yes  

[Alicia Firestar]

Millie was fascinated with the idea of the human New Year festival. Making noise and decorating everything in red sounded like a lot of fun. Especially if there was fear involved.
Running back to her trap, Millie found a creature waiting for her that was a bit smaller than the one Professor Malcom had, but she had caught in nonetheless. It wasn't too happy to see her, but after placing the cloth the professor gave her over the cage, it seemed to have settled down enough that Millie could pick up the cage without fear of losing fingers.

Unfortunately, Millie was so elated to catch something, she went a little too quickly, tripping on something and losing her balance.
She righted herself and managed to not drop the cage or fall, but the creature inside clearly didn't like being jostled around.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name:Millie
Current trapping spot:1

Caught a Nian?: Yes!  

[Sable Eye Cerena]

The idea of a Nian being more than a thing she could catch in a cage -- that it had once lived in the human world and been allowed to eat all of their things -- disturbed her in a way Tansy couldn't quite figure out, like a toothache.

"If someone tried to catch me in a trap," she grumbled, more to herself than anyone else, "I would get a lawyer. What, Nians don't get rights because they're tiny or something?"

Nevertheless, the Yule Cat obeyed the professor's instructs to go check her trap. She made her way back to the roots of the shaded tree where she had left it, and peered dubiously between the bars to see if the Fear candy had been eaten. It had indeed, and the silouette in the cage seemed to writhe unhappily upon its discovery. Tansy carefully draped the fabric over the cage (it was only a cheap cotton blend, not something Tansy herself would find comforting at all) and carried it in her arms back to where the professor was standing.

I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Tansy
Current trapping spot: 3

Caught a Nian?: Yes  

[Kaefaux]

That another student came and set up a track by the rocks didn't surprise him. Instead, the boil continued to watch as bodies collected in the "classroom" and other traps were set. That the other student--a ghoul?--chose to set hers up relatively close to his of course got her a few extra glances here and there. Curiosity only. That she had so many eyes painted along her--...weren't they?--only added to his questions.

...that he found himself met with a glare, however, didn't take long for him to decide to answer with a scowl of his own. What? What had he done wrong? "Didn't mean to offend," he grumbled before the professor began to tell the tale. Afraid of loud noises and fire? He gave a snort, finding personal irony. The concept that humans would lose their fear in something--while an obvious thought, he realized only as he returned to his trap, was... unsettling.

The thought process paused as he returned to find a Nian snarling around inside the cage he'd left. Not needing the thing to drive itself crazy seeing the fire between his horns, the balrog threw the black cloth over the cage, hoisted it up, and carried the hissing little thing back towards the table with surprisingly little issue. Guess he'd gotten the cloth on in time.

"The lack of fear disnae turn us in'tae minis where we stand. Why appear as wee ones now if others still live normally?" Or did they? The professor'd mentioned they weren't as widespread now. That was a concept that chilled even him to the core as he moved to hand his cage back to the professor as the othes. It occured to him then he might not just like where this class was going. He'd like to be proven wrong on this.


I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD!
Name: Neithan
Current trapping spot: 4

Caught a Nian?: Yes

iloveyouDIE

Delayed but hi ;;~

Dragain

 

[prolixity]

Siddie folded her hands, thinking the idea over. She had a thought about how it might be possible, but she wasn't certain; Professor Malcolm was going to explain once more Nians had been caught, anyway. Instead, she said, "I'm a living shadow, and my favorite minipet is also a shadow creature. So it must be possible for Fear to create both creeple and minis of the same sort." He voice rose slightly at the end of the sentence, not quite a question.

Kailey Koreco

Dragain