CREATIVE CONTENT: FIRST CLASSROOM.
There was a slither to her step, and a hiss in her voice, but nothing about the professor came off as malicious or devious. In fact, she seemed rather content as she sat on her desk and surveyed the turnout, greeting each student with a nod and a smile. A subdued elegance belied her moves, but a gentle and understanding expression remained permanently etched on her face.
"It is very lovely to see all of your shining faces here this morning, bright and ready to learn." Her voice was quiet enough that it commanded silence in the room, simply to be able to hear her. "My name is Professsor Selene, and today's lesson will be covering a fundamental topic, which means many of you have some knowledge to sshare with us already. Therefore, I hope you think of this as more of a roundtable disscussion, because it will be far more fun that way. So, let us begin by getting past all of the boring stuff as quickly as possible, hmm?" The professor winked, which was nothing more than a membrane passing over one eye, from left to right. Then she hopped off her desk, and moved to the chalkboard, etching away hastily written notes as she spoke.
"We are all aware of the basics. All of us, and everything about our world, is made of Fear. And we know that we retrieve this Fear from the minds and bodies of those lovely little creatures in the other world that we like to call Humans." She turned her head back to the class, and smiled. "If you did not know these things already, then you are in the wrong class - Scareling Primary is in another building." One eye flicked it's membrane in a wink once more, before turning back to the board. "What many new students don't quite know yet, is what drives Humans to Fear. Today, we will discuss a few of the general categories of Fear, and then we will open the class to a discussion on where specific Fears might be placed within these categories. One hopes that each of you knows of a few Fears to share with the rest of the class, and by the end of it I hope your input will have filled out these categories nicely for us."
She had written three words on the board, each underlined, and numbered an empty list underneath each one.
Physical,
Actional, and
Abstract.
"Now, just as a quick overview, I will go over all three of these. Then we will get more specific. These are three general categories of Fear that a Human may produce, which will then translate into the catalysts of creation within our world. Physical Fears are the most simple to understand. Fear of bugs. Fear of snakes." She winked again. "Fear of lightning. The best way to categorize these would be tangible things. Things you can see, taste, and touch - and these Fears are usually in the form of nouns. Subsequently, Actional Fears can usually be found in the form of verbs - Fear of falling. Fear of dying. Fear of drowning. Actional Fears are the fear of something happening."
She put down the chalk, patted her hands clean, and turned to face the room. "There will be bleed-through, many times. You may find that simply changing the phrasing of a Fear makes it sound Physical, instead of Actional. Determining which category a Fear best represents is a matter of rationalization - and perhaps, a little cleverness. I am sure you will perservere. But we have one final genre of Fear to discuss, and it is the most difficult to pin down. The Abstract Fear is often the most general of Fears, because it can be whittled down into several more specific Fears if it is thought through enough. Abstract Fears are the mightiest of human woes, because they cannot simply be overcome by growing up or facing it. They are the Fears that will grip a Human throughout his or her lifetime, and may never let go. And they are often Fears that we ourselves suffer through as well. Fear of Change. Fear of Love. Fear of a deity. Fear of no afterlife. These are Fears that humankind inflicts upon themselves - you will not often see one of us creating an Abstract Fear. It is very complex, and very dangerous.
She returned to stand in front of her desk, and hopped up onto it. "Now, we get to the good part. I'm sure there are many thoughts bubbling in those brains of yours. Questions, debates, conflicting opinions. I want to hear all of them! The rest of this class will be dedicated to sharing all of your personal opinions on this topic, because it is malleable, and subject to change. Just don't be afraid of it!" Her terrible little joke made her chuckle. "So simply raise your hand, and give me some examples of any of these categories. Then, we will hopefully delve into some discussion of Fears that can fit more than one category, or none at all. The tide of the discussion will be up to you!"
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Discussion over the topic will remain open and interactive for a few days, with participation rewarded by points that are considered 'extra credit' towards an attempt at an open classroom session - +1 to their rolls.
CREATIVE CONTENT: OPEN CLASSROOMNAME OF CLASS: The Utilization of Nightmares
PROFESSOR NAME Professor Selene
General information: As always, the professor remains quietly observing from her position sitting on the desk. On each table there now rests a small globe on a metal base, similar to those used in the divination classes. But upon looking closer, the ball is murky and filled with an ever changing substance - there would be no visions of the future within these. They were filled with raw Fear, waiting to be molded.
"Your task today is simple. Within each of these containers is a small amount of Fear. It takes no shape within these balls, because it waits for you to manipulate it. Today, you will be using all that you have learned about the many different kinds of Fears a human can achieve, and you will attempt to create a vision that will elicit one of these Fears. Though they will remain untested from true humans, you will be able to measure your success by 'weighing' your container at the station to your left." She gestured to the side of the room, where a wide black machine waited. There were several 'stations' the size of a coffee machine, where one could place one of the globes into a small indentation. Directly below each station was a small slit where printouts would emerge after the globes were measured.
"Ah, but I wish to challenge your minds, so I will be asking you to make not one, but three different nightmares within your globes. When you create your nightmares, I would like you to classify which of the categories from the three we have learned about, that your nightmare would best fit into. You may do any of the three, but I would be pleased to see one of each. As you recall, an example of Physical Fear would be bugs or snakes. Actional Fear is the second category, such as drowning or falling. And the third category would be your greatest challenge; to attempt a nightmare based on an Abstract Fear. Fear of Change. Fear of Love. Fear of a deity. Fear of no afterlife. I have yet to see a student achieve a successful abstract creation. I look forward to being pleasantly surprised!"
Mechanics: This roleplay can be done in a solo or a group. Each student gets three attempts,
they may do any of the three categories in any order. Even three of the same category is fine. You may do three Physicals, or two Physicals and one Abstract, or One Abstract and Two Actionals... well, you get the idea.
Round 1Your first globe awaits! Concentrating very hard on the Fear within, you attempt to use your imagination to shape and mold the Fear into a vision of a nightmare. Please make sure you describe your nightmare in your roleplay, and list what category the nightmare fits into at the bottom of the post!
-Physical Fear nightmare attempt - roll 1d6.1. Nothing happens.
2. Your nightmare is pleasant.
3. Your nightmare is vaguely frightening. +5 points!
4. Your nightmare is spooky. +5 points!
5. Your nightmare is bone-chilling. +10 points!
6. Your nightmare would make a grown man scream. +10 points!
-Actional Fear nightmare attempt - roll 1d81. Nothing happens.
2. Your nightmare is laughable.
3. Your nightmare laughs at -you-.
4. Your nightmare is a little strange. +5 points!
5. Your nightmare is kind of scary. +10 points!
6. Your nightmare sends chills down your spine. +10 points!
7. Your nightmare makes babies cry for their mothers. +15 points!
8. Your nightmare even scares YOU! +15 points!
-Abstract Fear nightmare attempt - roll 1d201-5 - Nothing happens.
6-12 - Your nightmare is only frightening because it's too abstract to understand. +5 points!
13-17 - Your nightmare is gripping, and hard to pull away from. +10 points!
18-19 - Your nightmare is terrifying, even to you. +15 points!
20 - You have successfully created an Abstract Fear nightmare that would elicit enough Fear out of a human to create a presence in Halloween. The professor heralds your rare success, stopping class to hold up the globe and make an example out of your achievement. "And behold, my young students, within lies the catalyst for our entire existence. Within this one, tiny globe, rests the spark of life!" +30 points!
Round 2 and 3 use the same mechanics as above.Bonus MechanicsStudents who participated in the GM'd classroom received extra credit points - +1 to all rolls
Students who are adept at dream/nightmare manipulation have an edge on this activity - +1 to all rolls
YOU FINISH THIS RP WHEN...
- You have successfully completed all three attempts
-A score of 30 and over is passing
-A score of under 30 is failure