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Tweak says, "bangel > spuffy"

Sam Winchester (tallerthanthou) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2013-05-12 13:43:00

Entry tags:

:class, :mingle, artemis crock, bonnie bennett, buffy summers, dawn summers, elena gilbert, jack harkness, kitty pryde (aoa), klara guildsen, laura kinney, martha jones, peggy carter, piper halliwell, puck, saitou yakumo, sam winchester, spencer reid, tear grants, xander harris, yuuki kuran, zero kiryuu

Class 002 : Day 218 : Wendigo [action]
Welcome or welcome back to Paranormal Studies.

[Sam starts off with another disclaimer-type comment for the new students as he did at the beginning of his last class about how this isn't a class on hunting.]

Topic: Wendigo

Today, we're talking about wendigos. The name means "evil that devours" and it's a pretty good description. They were actually human once, but something happened to them. Something extreme. Maybe long, cold winters without enough supplies. Whatever the case, they find themselves turning to cannibalism to survive. Obviously, not every cannibal becomes a wendigo, but some do. It changes them. The get taller, leaner, faster, stronger, vicious and always hungry. [Sometimes this class sounds like a scary story, doesn't it? He should teach around a campfire.]

They often hibernate for long periods of time, storing live food. Meaning they abduct and hold people, eating them slowly, stripping off pieces of skin and keeping them alive as they do it as long as possible.

It's the perfect hunter. It has all the power it needs for any prey and the intelligence too. It can stalk you without you knowing it's there, biding it's time to take out a full traveling party. It can also imitate human voices to lure you out.

[ WENDIGO ]

Case Study: Black Water Ridge, Colorado

We—Dean and I—were sent coordinates to Black Water Ridge, Colorado, where we discovered a Tommy Collins had gone missing on a hike. With some research I found people had been going missing in that area in 23-year cycles. We needed better information of what we were up against, so we found a survivor of a "bear" attack. [He actually uses the finger quotes, yes.] It's not unusual for people to come up with neat labels for things that don't make any sense to them, so it's important to look through all records for anything that doesn't seem to fit. Sometimes it's swamp gas or unusual diseases or animal attacks. This time it was a bear attack.

The survivor was able to tell us the thing that killed his family was smart and fast and didn't sound like a man or an animal. With a little more research we were able to figure out we were up against the Wendigo.

Knowing that didn't exactly make things easy from there. We ended up out in the forest with a guide, and Tommy Collin's sister and younger brother. We had to keep all of them safe while finding and rescuing Tommy and not getting ourselves killed in the process. The guide didn't make it. [He clears his throat a little. It's one of those moments where the weight of turning hunting into a class topic catches up to him. He's talking about some pretty strong subjects here even if this was a pretty easy case compared to a lot of what he faced. There was always a body count.]

We did recover Tommy. The Wendigo had been storing people in an abandoned mine. Dean also managed to kill the Wendigo.

[ BLACK WATER RIDGE, COLORADO ]

Practical: Defense of Wendigo

So, how did we do it? Fire. They are vulnerable to it. He was shot once in the chest with a flare gun. There are also some protection symbols from the Anasazi. If they're drawn correctly and you stay in their area of protection they'll act as a ward, keeping a wendigo at bay. A lot of taking them on is knowledge, skill, and luck. There is no conventional fighting with them, but it's also possible silver-tipped arrows can take them down.

[ ANASAZI SYMBOLS ]

Questions & Discussion

Okay, I think that's everything I had. Has anyone else ever heard of or encountered a Wendigo or something similar? Or are there any questions?

(OOC: Backdated to late afternoon. Mingle style. Notifs are off so tag Sam during class with questions or catch him before or after. Use your discretion with the links provided. Sam didn't necessarily cover every detail, but feel free to bring more into it. Warnings for talk of cannibalism and torture.)

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	trytobenormal 2013-05-12 10:52 pm UTC (link)
	[This one hit closer to home than the ghost lecture. Probably because Piper'd actually been turned into a wendigo once. It was shortly after her powers had been unbound. She might be sitting in the back of the class, biting her lip, and looking a bit uncomfortable at the topic.] (Reply to this) (Thread)

{1}

weirdcat
2013-05-13 07:40 pm UTC (link)

[Piper has a buddy in the back of the class.

Kinda.

Not really. But Yakumo is sitting in the back of the class, his feet up on the desk, his eyes half-lidded as though he's falling asleep, but he's listening to every word. The whole thing is ridiculous, of course, but considering he sees ~~used to see~~ ghosts and is currently locked up in an interdimensional prison...well, it's worth a listen. It's more interesting than the literature classes he skipped at school, at least.

Even as he listens to the lecture, he takes note of the people around him, curious to see what their reactions are. He notices Piper's discomfort and feels a brief flicker of curiosity about its source.

Piper might catch him watching her. Please forgive him if it comes across a little creepy.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: {1}

trytobenormal
2013-05-15 07:18 pm UTC (link)

[As a matter of fact, she did feel eyes on her and she was beginning to wonder if someone was figuring it out. She glanced over to see who was looking at her and in what way.

Bam. Eye contact.

Yeah... that was kind of creepy. She looked away for a moment, but it was still tingling the back of her neck, whether he was still looking or not. She looked back over again.]

Can I help you?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	{2} weirdcat 2013-05-18 09:15 pm UTC (link)
	Are you familiar with this topic? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: {2} trytobenormal 2013-05-21 02:00 pm UTC (link)
	Kind of? [She did sound a little nervous, though.] I mean, we have wendigos back home, so... [Awkward moment.] (Reply to this) (Parent)

	mightbefun 2013-05-23 08:21 pm UTC (link)
	[Someone's at the back of the class too, and can't help but notice Piper's discomfort as the lecture progresses. At some... short break when Sam isn't talking, Puck turns to her with a smile.] So how graphic do you think he intends to get with this? [In this thread: Puck is a jerk who finds the discomfort of random strangers amusing.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-05-23 08:28 pm UTC (link)
	[His question snapped her out of her own inner thoughts and back to the class itself.] Oh. I uh... I don't know. I guess it depends on the case studies he presents this time around. Did you attend the ghost lecture? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-05-23 09:52 pm UTC (link)
	[Aw. He'd hoped that question would make her even more visibly uncomfortable. He shakes his head, though, with a "nuh-uh" sound.] Did I miss anything good? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-05-24 03:19 am UTC (link)
	[She was trying to avoid being uncomfortable. He was going to have to try harder than that.] It was kind of basic. An overview of various types, a detailed look at the Woman in White style of ghost, and some basic repellent and vanquishing techniques. I've noticed Sam seems to be trying to avoid getting too much into hunting details and specifics. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-05-24 03:53 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, basics. In that case I think I'll survive. Well, smart move on his part, I'd say. Otherwise there's that tiny risk he'd end up with an army of offended otherwordly creatures outside the classroom. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-05-25 04:04 am UTC (link)
	[Nervous laugh.] Yeah. Wouldn't want your lessons to resemble anyone currently in the dome too closely! [Like being a wendigo or something.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-05-25 11:56 pm UTC (link)
	[Well, that nervous laughter could just be because of her general uneasiness, so he's not jumping to any such conclusions right away. However...] But you know, I couldn't help but notice you used the word "basic" twice just now. A shame there's not an advanced class for those who don't need the intro, huh? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

trytobenormal
2013-05-26 12:24 am UTC (link)

Well, I guess you could ask him about it. I think he's keeping it simple to avoid going too deeply into hunting techniques. We really don't need people vanquishing each other for now reason, now, do we?

[Because, as much as Piper was all for vanquishing demons and stuff, things were quite different here, and she wasn't going to do something so drastic unless it was completely necessary.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mightbefun
2013-05-26 01:21 am UTC (link)

Goodness no, what good could ever come out of that? [Besides some potentially fun fighting and general chaos.]

I will remember to ask him about it should I ever get a craving for serious studies. [He just, well, considers himself pretty knowledgeable on this subject matter already.] But you misunderstand me: what I was getting at was you knowing a bit about these things yourself. Yes?

[Hi, tell him about it.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-05-26 04:37 am UTC (link)
	Myself? [Piper frowned a bit. He had picked up on that after all...] I guess so. [Vague answer was vague.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mightbefun
2013-05-30 02:07 pm UTC (link)

[It was only a guess - he doesn't think a novice would use the word "basic" so much - but hey, she just confirmed it. The vague answe makes him chuckle, though.]

Comparing experiences with the supernatural - you'd think it'd be the obvious go-to topic in a class like this. [See, he's not talking Wendigos specifically!] Now me, I personally much prefer Wendigos to ghosts. They make better conversation, and that's saying something. [Ahem.] No pun intended.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-05-31 02:41 am UTC (link)
	I haven't actually tried talking to a wendigo. [Really. Even when she had been turned into one, she hadn't exactly been talking to other wendigos about the weather and the best hunting grounds.] Ghosts, though, I've talked to... both good and bad. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-05-31 10:49 pm UTC (link)
	Ahh, then you've missed out. And I'm just guessing here, but: now we're talking moral allignment, not eloquence. Any fun encounters? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-06-01 04:21 am UTC (link)
	You've talked to one? [Why wasn't she surprised? But she shrugged.] I think that's going to depend on your definition of fun. Usually, it's more frustrating than fun, but it's nice to talk to my family that's passed. [Well, most of them. For some reason, talking to one of them just didn't seem to happen no matter how hard she tried.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-06-01 06:35 pm UTC (link)
	Interesting point of view. Usually it's "I'd rather they passed on peacefully" - that's not a thing in your world? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-06-01 10:27 pm UTC (link)
	It is. And, for the most part, my family has. But it's different with magical families, I guess. When we need to, we can call on someone who's passed for help. [Grams and Mom never seemed to complain all that much about being called back from rest or whatever along those lines.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-06-01 11:46 pm UTC (link)
	I have heard dead relatives are useful for finding missing pets and predicting the future. [He's kidding.] Seems you can't throw a rock around here without hitting someone magical. I'm guessing medium. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-06-02 01:48 am UTC (link)
	Heh... close. [Close enough, anyway. Spirit boards and summoning spells could make it look like she was a medium, at least.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mightbefun 2013-06-02 08:34 am UTC (link)
	See, I'm good at this game! "Please, Puck, guess again; I like the attention." [Because of course her just not wanting others to know what she is isn't a possibility.] I will, if you give me a hint first. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	trytobenormal 2013-06-02 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	[She was a bit taken aback by that, and blinked at him, startled.] Why would I do that? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)