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Post by zuyuri on Feb 8, 2023 21:54:30 GMT
A small, rueful smile crossed Jack’s face. There was a well meantness to Bella’s comment. No wonder so many people were apparently taking a shine. Utena brought up destruction of buildings, and he nodded. “Yes, Destruction is inevitable in your cases as a hero. There was a time in the 1960’s where supers were actually sued for property damage, even with apologies. However, times changed, and finally in 1990, it became illegal for supers to be sued for simply using their powers.”
Zelda typed in the years and bulleted the points. That was going to be brought up in a quiz or test later. She knew Professor Hueros was sneaky when dropping nuggets of knowledge. Some were simple fun facts to keep the class engaged. Others were actual tidbits of information. “And what of property damage? Do heroes and criminals have to pay for those?”
“It depends on intent,” Jack answered. “Should the intent be for criminal access, that comes from a criminal’s pocketbook or their insurance. However, if an argument can be made that the property was damaged for the intent of stopping a crime, then you cannot be held accountable.”
“Seriously, if I wanted to get into things like insurance, I’d go to public school. Oh, wait, they don’t teach that stuff,” Riku quipped dryly. It was something nice about Hero High. The logistics were explained to them, even if some of them weren’t quite ready to grow up. Better to learn it at an impressionable age.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 10, 2023 2:58:44 GMT
Spike grimaced. Legal business sounded icky. He'd never want to be a lawyer. Easing tensions down at a party was one thing, but keeping your cool in a courtroom? That was something different. Although he did snicker at Riku's comment. "But all public school kids know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell," he joked, referencing the old internet meme. "Such valuable information."
Okay, that was a little funny, but Utena wouldn't give the satisfaction of laughing. Class clowns got a chuckle here and there, but she'd also seen them take pranks too far sometimes, and it always irritated her to no end. Bella had been the victim of stuff like that for years.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 10, 2023 3:44:25 GMT
Riku rolled his eyes and let a coy smirk cross his face. He had made his token protest. He got a nice sarcastic exchange from Spike, and he’d take it. Better than confused looks or groans or yelling. Fun enough. He played with his pencil before making rough notes from what was on the board. He could ask for better notes later or read the lecture notes online.
Zelda didn’t participate in the verbal horseplay. Quipping jokes was well and good, but there were times and places for jokes. Lectures about crime and learning to be heroes was not one of them. The good news was the laughter was short lived, and she sighed in relief. “Professor Hueros?” Hopefully her question could bring them back to focus. “Are seasonal blues a part of cold cases?”
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Post by skyeknight on Feb 10, 2023 19:23:01 GMT
Albedo felt his attention on the topic began to wane. He wasn't exactly a 'touchy-feely' sort of person. Seasonal Affective Disorder was out of his wheelhouse of interests. If not for the teacher's careful eye, he might have gone back to his reading. Instead, he began to twirl his pen around, counting down the seconds to the end of class. Hopefully, there wasn't a test on this emotional stuff later.
"Yeah! Don't crime rates increase during winter?" Ruby asked, latching onto Zelda's question.
She always remembered that her family got so busy in winter that sometimes, they wouldn't come home for the big holidays. It was tough work but work that someone had to do. It was especially hard on her dad, since it was around this time that her mom passed away.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 20, 2023 2:51:47 GMT
Spike let the conversation slide back to the topic at hand, but seasonal blues causing more crime caught Bella and Utena's interest. They hadn't known about that. "You mean like seasonal depression?" Utena asked. She and Bella had heard about that plenty of times. Heck, winter usually caused Utena to feel cooped up and more restless than usual. And Bella's powers didn't exactly flourish when there were cold winds and snow on the ground.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 20, 2023 19:32:17 GMT
“Well there have studies of seasonal blues affecting a person’s mindset. However, there had been no study saying that it links to crime specifically,” Jack answered. “However, that line of thinking is more Professor Strife’s expertise, so we’ll move on from that and change the tactic to cold cases in the literal sense. Power over ice is called cryokinesis, and it is on record one of the most dangerous powers superheroes encounter. Ice can be crafted through a power or by scientific ways such as artificial coolants.”
Riku raised a hand, “So is it nice to have a heat source should someone with those powers pop up?”
Jack nodded, ignoring the sarcastic way Riku asked the question. “Ideally, having connection to an individual with heat powers or having any kind of thermal gear on you is something to consider. Ice is a dangerous threat, and during the winter especially. The colder the outdoors, the stronger the ice.”
Now Zelda raised a hand. “Is there any way to protect ourselves with our uniforms besides thermal gear? Some of us have powers that are cancelled out by such gear.”
Jack steepled his bong fingers before drawing a loose outline of a person on the board. “Most of us lose our body heat through the skin. Another place we lose heat is from the top of our heads. Consider thorough coverings and keeping your heads covered. Or should you find civilians trapped in ice, ensure they have suitable covers for both the skin and head.”
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Post by skyeknight on Feb 22, 2023 5:41:22 GMT
Albedo contemplating mentioning the portable thermal device he and Zelda designed. The finished product was ready. He had tested it himself. And had gotten plenty of odd looks for walking around campus in the dead of winter without a coat. Then again, his invention had nothing to do with the class. His father had discouraged that sort of thing, but he made a note to tell Zelda after class.
"But what if we can't get them something to warm up?" Ruby asked.
Sometimes, it was hard to do your job as a hero. Sometimes things didn't always line up the way you wanted them to. You had to be prepared, but Ruby hadn't thought about what to do if civilians had been caught in the crosshairs. Her family had trained her to beat up bad guys.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 23, 2023 23:58:16 GMT
The subject was moved to literal cold cases, and partnering up with someone who had fire powers was certainly a way to combat it. "Looks like we're in luck if Zuko's around, huh?" Utena said, giving her sister a playful jab.
Bella frowned. "He's not a walking space heater, Utena."
"Hey, I'm just saying," Utena said with a shrug, but she let the matter go.
Ruby brought up a good point. A plan B was needed if thermal gear wasn't available. "Not to mention, thick puffy jackets can restrict movement," Spike commented. Something bulky like a winter coat would make it a little harder to pull off his moves, not to mention he'd probably look ridiculous.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 24, 2023 21:47:06 GMT
Jack’s heart swelled. Good. This was what he hoped to get out of this lecture. Now which question to address first? Ruby’s question about the people in a cold spot, or Spike’s question about large jackets? Well Ruby was showing a lot of enthusiasm and questions, but she needed a break. So, he focused on Spike’s question.
“Sometimes, one must give up style for safety. Yes, bulky jackets not only restrict movement, but they also end up becoming a hazard if pressure is applied. And no one wants to say wardrobe malfunction was how they failed at reaching civilians.”
Riku led a small amount of titters. Yes, saying your costume was how you failed to save the day would be embarrassing. Even lethal. There was a reason capes were going out of style in the modern superhero days.
As the laughter died, Jack stalked away from the board to show a sketch he had made of a scenario where people didn’t have access to heat. “Now in this situation, there are no thermals and no heat powers to help. Notice how the more vulnerable people are huddled in the middle so that the cold gets them last. Ideally you’ll want people to huddle a good half an arm’s length away in order to create a pocket of heat. Another option,” and he drew a small circular building, “is to take a hint from our winter friends and create a makeshift igloo. The shape keeps heat in a relative space without becoming overwhelming.”
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Post by skyeknight on Mar 10, 2023 1:52:46 GMT
"Signs of frostbite include cold skin, followed by numbness, then reddening of the skin," Albedo said. "Possibly turning blue or ashen depending on the individual's particular pallor. Depending on the severity, it can lead to hard or waxy looking skin. In extremely severe cases, there are blisters upon being warmed back up."
Ruby grimaced at the description. Sure, she thought it was a little helpful to know that but seriously, it was kind of icky to think about. That and Albedo was like a walking human encyclopedia. She was honestly surprised there were things he didn't know since he spouted out a bunch of facts. Why was he at school if he knew so much?
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Mar 12, 2023 17:24:13 GMT
Bleh. Utena and Bella made a face. Frostbite wasn't fun, especially the way Albedo described it. Bella knew her powers wouldn't be very useful if she was in someplace that cold. Any plants she made wouldn't last long. But even without powers, there were methods they could use to stay warm and last a while.
Huddling in a pile and building igloos? Spike hoped some of the students wouldn't mind getting up close and personal if they were in a situation like that.
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 12, 2023 17:56:47 GMT
Before Jack could even get into the wrap up of the lesson, someone had to take it to the uncomfortable level. Albedo described frostbite, and while the terms he used were medically correct, it tended to get overly descriptive. The poor Tenjou twins were looking a bit green. He sat back with a blank expression, easy to do when one’s face was literally a skull, and waited until Albedo was done before going into his conclusion.
“Okay, well, that is…very insightful things to look out for when in cold environments. Perhaps a bit too many details there. Now, I’ve posted your homework on our online classroom. Basically use what we talked about today in terms of keeping civilians warm and defrosting ice. I am always an email away or you can ask me about the assignment if you have questions. We have five minutes left before the bell, so you may start packing up.”
——-
While Utena and Bella were disgusted by Albedo’s description of frostbite, Riku didn’t even flinch. He had seen worse. Far worse. Benefits of dark magic; if made one numb to scary and disturbing imagery. But he wasn’t just going to spout out his nightmarish encounters to everyone without consent. Just basic social skills.
He closed his laptop as Mr. Hueros dismissed class, tracing the holographic silver X on the black back cover. Homework could wait. And he wasn’t in the mood for gaming either. The chance to talk with people wasn’t going to be around forever. He packed his backpack - also black, studded with silver skulls - and headed down to the twins.
“You guys gonna be okay?”
____________
Zelda was not in a social mood as class ended. The quicker she could get a head start on the assignment, the better. Her laptop was touchscreen, which meant having her notes in a separate tab as she looked at Professor Hueros online page and clicked on the assignment. It involved a simple experiment; put a plastic water bottle with a gummy bear -or whatever small item that could be put inside the bottle - in the freezer for a time, tap it to watch it freeze, and try to thaw the ice or keep the ice from reaching the small object. She began typing rapidly on the answering questions part. The experiment she could later.
((End thread))
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