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sweetpinkpixie · 01-13-2016, 09:22 AM

SPOILER!!: the silent

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsgisselx3

Oliver beamed at Professor Airey's nodding because he knew he'd given great answers. Duh. Everyone looked at the stars and thought they were pretty and stuff. Like, everyone. And anyone who didn't do it was lame and needed to rethink their priorities and stuff. But then...the professor was saying Ollie had brown stuff on his nose? "I...wha-" Just as he was about to rub the stuff off his nose, Oliver realized he was calling the boy brown noser. Rude. Mumbling, mostly to himself, he said, "Don'ttakemycomplimentsthen." NOT LIKE HE WAS LYING. Gosh. He would just go around giving compliments out to all of the other professors instead. Surely they'd be more grateful.

He jotted down notes of everything his classmates said as well as everything else the professor was saying, all brown nosing comments left out of course. And when the next question came, Oliver came close to making a comment about the professor and the spell, just to get back at him...but then he decided against it. The first class was not the time to get points taken away, especially not since they were already down some points. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and wrote down what all the other students had to say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Daxton watched Airey Flamsteed intently once the new plaque had been registered, and tried to gauge his reaction. It was difficult - near impossible, actually - but from what he could tell the man was not amused, which was actually more or less the result Daxton had been after. But... still he still could not tell if the Airey Flamsteed's reaction was the one he ultimately wanted. He did not know what 'two strikes' meant, though could make some logical deductions. It elicited just the shadow of a smile, though the Ravenclaw's mouth and nose were still covered by the space blanket, making it impossible to notice.

But then that was it, and disappointment and dissatisfaction seeped in, and Daxton stared at the professor for a good long moment, trying to figure out exactly why he felt disappointed with regards to his reaction, and failing miserably. With a subtle frown suddenly gracing his features, a frown of confusion and of something he could not quite place, Daxton took the new piece of parchment. This time he wrote as small as he possibly could, so small it was nigh on impossible to make out the words were one not stood with their nose almost touching the parchment (soon-to-be plaque), small enough that were he using quill and ink instead of ballpoint pen it would have simply turned into a smudge. That done, Daxton retrieved his wand once more, and tapped the new parchment to make a third plaque.

He had done as instructed, had he not? There was his name, there was his year... barely visible, but they were there. He was, technically, following instructions, but now he had the loophole of technically abiding by the rules in case pushing his luck backfired.

Leaning back in his chair again, Daxton adjusted the blanket over his face to try and get some cooler air. The effort was futile; using an insulating blanket as a face mask in a foul smelling classroom only worked in theory, but the air he was breathing was too hot, and his breath coming in shorter bursts than he would have liked because of it. He was so focused on this fact that he almost missed that particular bit of information about a field trip. Almost, but not quite. Daxton paused, blinked in the Astronomer's direction, and wondered; he was not sure how he felt about another field trip, though it depended entirely on where they were going. That was... if he would even be permitted to go after last year's debacle.

Once again, when the question came, Daxton offered no response. He had his notebook out now, but the blowing wind in the classroom would make it infuriating to try writing in it, and it was not a response that was worth being written down anyway - nor were any of the others being provided. But his answer? The smell. It did not matter that it had already been mentioned; it was unbearable, and it was worth more than one mention. People were moaning about the cold, but Daxton found little issue with the temperature of the room, aside from his feet which, being bare, needed to be tucked underneath him to keep warm and retain sensation. But the stench of the room, that needed to go; Daxton was getting a little lightheaded from using the insulating blanket to cover his face and breathing only hot air, but knew nothing else within his resources would block the smell quite so well. He remained silent, staring off into space and fiddling with the edge of the space blanket, thoughts travelling elsewhere entirely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roselyn

Apart from apparently giving a decent answer, he had a bit of trouble understanding some other things that were being mentioned. Like, osculation. What even... He didn't suppose that'd be a word he could look up in his astronomy textbook would it?

Aside from that...

Despite his shivering cold body, the professor's speech was rather inspiring. YES he was descended from astronomers! YES he wanted to look at the stars! YES he wanted to learn it ALL! All that motivation and inspiration... was probably going to be gone by the time homework came around, so might as well soak it all in while he had the chance. Plus, FIELD TRIP. That was the cherry on top. He wiggled a little more in his seat from the excitement.

The guy who mentioned hot chocolate was on the right track. The girl who mentioned making it colder though...

So not.

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Originally Posted by pundantic

Chloe's teeth chattered the more Professor Flamstead spoke She did try to pay attention, really, but it was hard to concentrate when she could barely think. It was that cold. Well, not that cold but she was uncomfortable.

And by the time her little brain caught up to the conversation her classmates had already come up with all of the logical and some of the less logical (looking at you Gryffindors) answers to how to make this environment more hospitable.

She pulled the shiny blanket closer around herself.

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Originally Posted by Hera

...... he was perfectly content with planning his weekend, but as it so happened there was lesson material to be discussed. Or was there?

Zeke looked up from his blanket to hear people discussing heating charms and whether they felt cold or not. Like... ??? Wasn't this by design? The blanket thing was kind of a give-away. So then, WHY bother asking?

Again, Zeke didn't reply. The obvious points had been made.

Issue: Cold; Solution: Magic.

TADA! He wasn't going to be the ground-breaking shock-jock of a genius to point that one out, he was deciding that right now it wasn't his style. Continuing to do all the fiddling with the shiny, Zeke peered around as people spoke, but gave no response to Professor Flamsteed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davvy_Wavvy

What was this class? It was his second year and Bentley still didn't get it. The only time he was interested in the sky was when he was taking pictures of it, whether in the day or night time. He also didn't understand why it was also, so cold. Like it was bad enough that he had a weather and climate shock every time he came back to school but dealing with it at night too, when the Professor could easily charm them warm was just annoying.

Also, what was the point of studying the stars if he couldn't take pictures of them? And you know what? He couldn't!

All thanks to professor jerk sausage head Flamsteed. He had to send his precious camera home.

Bentley sighed and pulled his blanket closer to him while listening to his classmates.

Was this a two hours or one hour lesson session...he couldn't remember.

For whatever their reasons, those that had elected to remain silent were each given an approving nod. Mr. Prince, however, received a little more than that as the professor was going to write this off as a small victory over teenage rebellion.

Blue eyes passing over each of them in turn, the astronomer did not linger long before moving on to the next raised hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wisher

...
The question was simple and so was the answer. Warmth, get rid of those weed things because it seemed a lot of people were concerned. "I think you have done all you can to make it hospitable without straying from the attributes you need for the lesson?" Ie. the cold.
...

Interesting.

"Well, thank you," he chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Pebbles with an amused expression. "I shall keep that in mind for future lessons."

Only not really, but assuming the boy was humoring the man then he would humor back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE

Torrance jerked his hand up in the air to give this answer! His blanket falling off his head. "Sir could we have some hot Cocoa....with sugar" He mumbled the last part. "I know we can't have food or drink in class, but something warm like that'd be a big help." Plus the sugar for Torrance. Give him Sugar Flamsteed!!!

"You are welcome to cocoa in your respective common rooms after dismissal," he replied.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriGranger1990

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Kay put her hand up and answered the question: "We can dress like astronauts, like what you are sort of doing, sir. It would help with the smell and with the cold." She said softly.

"That is an option," he nodded. Although that was not the sort of response he was looking for. "Although I was looking for options that have to do with changing the actual environment of the room itself rather than what we can do to ourselves."

A small distinction, but a significant one.

SPOILER!!: THE COLD!

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Yes, the classroom was uncomfortable. Thanks, Flamsteed, for pointing that out as if it was not obvious to everyone. As if it was not Flamsteed himself who had made the conditions of the room so undesirable. Olly thought he had liked the man, despite their adverse interactions the previous year, but this was one thing he did not appreciate. Why would he make his students suffer so much? Sure blankets had been provided and Olly might be a tad dramatic, but he still did not appreciate it.

He raised his hand. "It's cold," he stated like that was not obvious. "So it would be nice if we could do something to warm it up. Like start a fire. I know a spell, I could start one if you wish." Something told him Flamsteed would not take him up on that offer, but there was no harm in mentioning it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

AWESOME! A correct answer! She didn't get any extra points like some students did, but that was cool. She knew her time would come! Plus, she was overly amused by some girl's question about snails, and as it turns out, there ARE snails in space! Who would have thought?

OHHH, a joint field trip with Herbology! Ariadne loved Herbology, but Muggle Studies? She wasn't sure about that one yet. Speaking of cold temperatures, it WAS still pretty chilly in here. Freezing, maybe? Yes...freezing. Ariadne had an answer, though! "We could be closer to the SUN in here!" she suggested, raising her hand. "But not too close, because we'd be TOO HOT." She paused and thought about what she was saying. "Do you know how to do something like that, Professor? Put a magical Sun in a classroom?"

Another pause. "ALSO, can I float in the air like that girl?" she asked, looking up at Charlotte Kettleburn. It looked pretty awesome to be spending class just soaring around up there. This was the girl who'd asked about space snails, too! NEW FRIEND ALERT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

As Professor Flamsteed spoke, Esme continued to take notes. She could understand what he was saying, and that was good because he sometimes got rather long-winded in his lectures. She liked the man, but it was true.

Her hand was going numb.

The blanket helped most of her, but her poor hand was left exposed as was her head. Not very nice at all. At the next question, she raised her freezing hand to reply. "I think the Insulating Charm would really help." You know...to go with the heating charms and fires that her classmates were suggesting. That way the warmth would actually STAY inside and no more cold would get in. Win win in her book.

But what to do about those tornadoes that he had obviously created? Too bad she only had one suggestion she could give.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

Kitty raised her hand. "I don't know if this counts really, but a heater would make it warmer, right? That's something the Muggles have to heat their houses, it's not magical but I've been in buildings with them and they really work." Both her and her Muggle dad lived with her mother (who was a witch) but her dad often took her to visit Muggle stores and that is how she knew of heaters.

After answering the question Kitty turned to look at the student sitting next to her, (Ailsa Cailleach Denaker) wondering what her answer would be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

Ooh this was one Trixie could answer because it was so obvious. To her anyway. She raised her hand high in the air almost lifting herself out of the seat. "A little warmth would be nice." The cold hadn't been so noticeable at first but the longer she sat there, the more she could feel it.

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Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy

As her answer was given she set her hands back down on her lap. The salute she received from Admiral Airey was welcomed with a smile. Nice. Listening to the answers of those given around her Hady couldn't help but notice that nearly everyone was covering themselves up with their space blankets. True as it was that she herself did have her own blanket covering her lap she honestly wasn't very cold. With a slight laugh under her breath she brought her attention back to the Professor.

Mentions of a joint field trip had certainly gotten her attention. Yes! Field trips were always the best! It didn't matter if said trip was boring it was a break from lessons and a chance to get outside the area of Hogwarts with friends. Whatever it happened to be this term was going to be looked forward too. However a question was asked and Hady had to cap her thoughts and focus once more. "Personally I'm used to the cold so it doesn't exactly bother me any but maybe the use of a simple heating charm or any other number of charms could be used depending on the discomfort one is currently experiencing?" A simple answer really but an answer none-the-less.

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Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Wait, why he was chuckling when she mentioned that this world is not as a same size as a pea? She didn't find any appropriate size to explain about small things beside the pea. Well, maybe she would find it later. Did he just mention about the join field trip with Herbology and Muggle Studies class too? Awesome! The young lioness just couldn't wait for that time.

And now the Astronomy Professor mentioned about how this classroom should be hospitable. Hospitable?

Well, she didn't want Professor Flamsteed to turn the classroom into as hospital. Ava didn't like hospitals. It's creepy, full of sick and dying people, it's also had a weird strong scent. But clearly, there's something wrong from this classroom. "Professor, I think we need a light and warmth from the sun. But I don't need you to change this classroom into a hospital or whatever." the young lioness spoke up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Symphora

Henric blinked in amazement. Woah....woaaah! Where were all of her new found confidence came from?! Her answers were...absolutely spectacular! She even got herself five points from Admiral Flamsteed too! As expected of bis brilliant girlfriend, way to go llia and gave her two thumbs up. His teeth was chattering now, his blanket pulled over his head for extra coverage. He was too cold to answer the first question.*sigh*

Henric raised his hands,"Admiral s-sir...is it possible if we c-could just let the sunrays come in...a little heat generated w-would be nice too," he suggested as he tried to stop his mouth from shivering. Naturally, the side of his body leaned closer to llia. Hehe. Prince George, her petrock seemed to relish the comfort of the warm blanket. Eyeing her rock a little, he pulled his blanket closer to his body even more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

Janelle took notes as her classmates gave their answers to the first question. She kind of wished that she had brought her gloves to class because her hands were freezing (as was the rest of her). The space blanket couldn't help that and her fingers were starting to cramp up from the writing and the cold.

When Professor Flamsteed moved on to ask his second question, Janelle's hand shot up into the air. She was too slow apparently because someone presented her answer before she had a chance to share it. The hot air charm would definitely be good to warm things up in the classroom. By the time Janelle was called on, she had switched to plan B or answer B, as the case may be.

"We could definitely stand for the room to be made warmer. Maybe bluebell flames could help a little bit." As for the incredible stench, well that was another problem entirely. Fortunately Janelle was pretty adept at breathing through her mouth and trying not to smell. Even so, she couldn't help but catch a whiff every now and then. And it was not pretty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Rachel smiled at Professor Flamsteed's head bow as she adjusted her space blanket tighter around her. She glanced over at Haddie, hoping her best friend was okay now before directing her attention to the book in front of her so that she could make notes in the form of jottings.

What perked the girl's interest was the mention of the joint lesson of Astronomy, Muggle Studies and Herbology. She wondered what this lesson could be about but as long as it involved plants, she didn't mind what they did.

Rachel raised her hand once more. "Perhaps the use of an Insulation Charm, Professor. We would all be extensively less cold then.'' Poor Henric was obviously having a difficult time coping with the extreme cold.

With the sun having gone down hours prior, they would need to wait until morning for its rays to warm the classroom - although those responses did receive small nods as he made his way around the raised hands.

"Temperature," he agreed as he removed his wand from his enchanted breast pocket once again and raised it in preparation. "Thankfully, I did not go to such extremes as to simulate a planetwide -55 degrees Celsius, but raising and regulating the temperature of the classroom would certainly make for a more comfortable."

Then, with a small flick of his wand, the enchantments in place to make the room feel like an invisible snow storm was in place were removed. Gradually, the temperature began to rise and soon the blankets were no longer necessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luna_Midnight

...
Make it more hospitable? Well the normal answer would be to make it warmer, not wanting to follow the crowd Arista's hand shot out and she said the first thing that came to her mind "Make it colder." Erm what?? Had she really just suggested that. Oh well, no going back now. Maybe she should have put more thought into her original unique answer. Next time.

Unless you were Miss Royal. Apparently. Who seemed to rather enjoy the cold and perhaps would have appreciated it if he had in fact made the classroom excruciatingly cold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayim

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"Oh, um as for the classroom environment maybe put more lint rollers outside? There was a line to use this one" She smiled nervously- She had just spoken in a class for the first time.

"Oh. Suggestion noted," he nodded to the first year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

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"I think conditions could be adjusted by taking away your wand, sir, because I am assuming you are the one responsible for magically creating these conditions. Also, could we get some couches and armchairs, because the desks aren't the most comfortable to sit in, as a suggestion, sir. AND also, could you please grab my best friend and keep her from floating away, because she hasn't even gotten to see what snails look like with space helmets on, and I bet she would really enjoy that field trip later on in the term."

Please. He was just a little bit concerned over here. David pushed his glasses up his nose again and gave the professor a serious, but not unkind, LOOK.

................Ravenclaws.

Sweet solstice.

Clearing his throat at the first part of Mr. David's answer, the astronomer DID take the latter half into consideration and looked over in the direction the second year indicated...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH SPACE SNAILS!?!!!?!!! Charlotte stood up in excitement, which turned out to be a mistake since it sent her floating UP well into the air. If she was supposed to focus on answering questions now when she was a) floating and b) there were books about SNASTRONAUTS (snail astronauts) then that was just too bad because it wasn't happening.

"Not to worry, Mr. David. What goes up must come down," he mused. After all, gravity in the classroom was still very much present. Just at one third capacity as per usual.

Still, to be absolutely sure, he did bound over and grab Miss Kettleburn by the leg to gently drag her back down to her seat.

SPOILER!!: THE SMELL!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yourenodaisy

Samantha was not particularly interested in answering the last question. After all, Space wasn't really her thing, or at least not studying it. She'd rather be watching movies about the stars, not actually learning about them. She spent her time poking at the interesting name thing on her desk, as she listened to the others answer

But that did catch her attention. They were going on a field-trip? awesome!! Not like classes here were super boring like her old school had been. After all, they were just having their first lessons and all, but trips were always fun.

And then her Head of House asked a very good question. Except Ice haired Carl's answer made her frown. She raised her hand. "No, I think the floaty stuff is fun, I like it. You should make the boys put their shoes on or take baths or something because it smells funny in here." And she was used to what normal people would think smelled... bad. And well obviously the boys were the reason it smelled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sararara

Norah grinned at Professor Flamsteed, a little surprised that he hadn't jumped on anybody's desks yet, and picked up a quill to record his explanation. Alright. Hand back in the cocoon now, yeah? It was AWFULLY cold, and as hard as she was trying, she wasn't getting used to it. What a life.

It did make the next question fitting, though, so with a slightly wrinkled nose she held a hand over her head. He really should've told them to bring gloves. "You could fill the room with loads and loads and loads of FLOWERS! The lovely smelling kind, not the other ones." Y'know, 'cause the smell was only getting more and more dreadful. It'd stink for anybody who had allergies, though, which was unfair. She didn't even like to think about what her life would be if she couldn't smell FLOWERS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awarlesta Black

Cal had been quietly shielded under the blanket. From the cold, from the smell, from the corny jokes the professor was dropping. "Dude--Professor, maybe some flowers or something could help." IT SMELLS SOOOO BAD. It smells like that time Vin cut the cheese after eating twenty pumpkin pasties. "Or just open a window, that could work, too."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirali

SPOILER!!: Sorry Prof, Ailsa can be a bit, er, literal, at times.

Ailsa watched the professor's smile fade as she continued her answer. It wasn't terribly surprising. Adults did that a lot with her answers. But really, he did ask why the class was required, and she'd given the correct answer. Had he asked why it was important, or even whether she agreed with the adults' assessment that the class was too important to leave it up to the students' discretion, the girl's response would have been different, but he hadn't asked those things and she stood by her answer, professorial blinking notwithstanding.

The prospect of a joint field trip amongst Astronomy, Herbology, and Muggle Studies was certainly interesting; moreso as nothing linking the three classes sprang immediately to the young girl's mind. There was something she didn't know and she looked forward to finding out.

As for the professor's question, she listened to the other students' comments, including requests for bubble charms as the professor wore. Those confused her a little since giving people bubble-head charms wouldn't change the conditions in the classroom one bit, they'd just isolate students from it.

"The cold we can live with, but maybe the smell could be changed to lilacs?" It wasn't one word, but it was one 'thing' and she'd hang her hat on that technicality. The smell wasn't really that much worse than the barns in summer, if she were honest, but she definitely wouldn't mind an improvement either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ch_Couture

Elliot had sat relatively quiet in his corner of the semi-circle taking notes and listening to the other students. He had been silently thanking his one muggle in-law, as she was the only reason he had ever heard the term 'Vulcan'. His little ears perked when he heard the question about making the classroom more comfortable.

He set his quill down next to his wand and raised his hand chewing his lip in thought before speaking. "When I was younger and we lived in Romania it would get pretty cold in our house. Our parents would gather us all to tell stories or play a game where we learned something. Anything to keep our minds off the cold and it helped a lot." He thought again for a moment and continued as his nose wrinkled, "My older sister also uses a lot of perfume. Maybe that would help."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

He noticed that, 'ol HoH being taken aback by what he said, and the boy's bright blue-green eyes expressed much amusement since his grin is currently hidden behind his hands. Yeah imagine scraping those things on your downstairs. What fun. Not.

And on to the lecture. Tenacius prodded the self-writing quill with his elbow to take notes. Theres a good reason now see? Hands are busy, he's not lazy.

But whoah full stop. Did the Prof just say fieldtrip? They be goin' out yaaaas!

Are the conditions in the classroom not hospitable? Oh so the Prof was aware? "Its cold and it stinks but I thought this is just how it is for this classroom. Y'know like how swamps are swamps and not a perfumery." How can they make it more comfortable? "Uh… install windows? Keep the cold out and maybe the stink?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Marmalade

YAY! I got some points. Bella thought, as a grin spread across her face. That certainly got her energy flowing again enough to keep her from yawning and possibly dozing off. She just wished it was a little warmer in here because she wasn't exactly a fan of this type of blanket, but considering where her family was from she was use to cold weather. However, if she had to choose between being cold and the bad smell, she’d choose being cold.

"Well no… and yes… maybe. The class room isn't really hospitable because it's cold and stinky; however, you did provide us with these blankets," she replied, before adding. Noting how comfortable he seemed standing there in his suit and bubble head charm, unaffected by the conditions of the room. "I wouldn't mind having one of those bubbles around my head to help with the smell." She didn’t care what he did really as long as she didn’t have to tolerate this smell for the entire class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

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"You could help us first years out and cast the Bubble Head Charm FOR us," she suggested with a grin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarShine

Katherine had truly not consciously felt the stench when she first entered, because 1. new class, 2. new professor, 3. lots of opportunities to learn. However, as soon as she answered, she smelled it and almost couldn't focus on the professor's answer (though she DID hear the 'Excellent,' and smiled to herself proudly). She hadn't got her notebook and quill out yet and now she doubted she should. Was... astronomy tower always windy and stinking like this?

She listened to some answers first again. It was striking how many mentioned the temperature, but not the quality of air. So she raised her hand as she involuntarily wrinkled her nose.

"I think there's something rotting in here," she said, "or a source of this smell, at least. Because the winds ought to clear the air if it wasn't here." She looked around. "We should locate it and get rid of it." Unless... this was a trick of the professor to teach them yet something again.

Nodding his head, the professor gave another flick of the wand to banish the horrendous odor that had plagued the classroom until that moment. Once he was sure the smell had dissipated - meaning he counted to 10 Mississippi-ly - he removed his own Bubble Head Charm. He was unsure if he was impressed or disappointed that no one had taken the initiative to perform the spell on themselves or offer one to a classmate. Perhaps Miss Swynford was on to something with the mention of body odor? Was this general just used to bad smells?

Intriguing.

"A change in the atmosphere," he nodded to those who had answered with regards to the smell. "Excellent."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callie

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"Bonfire!" Prof. Flamsteed had asked for a single word answer about how he could improve conditions in the classroom. And that was hers.

"Perhaps that can be arranged for the end of the field trip," he nodded. Complete with delicious how schmoes! But no. Not here not now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meizzner

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"You could make it colder than it would feel like Professor Draper's office"

Not really answering the question. But it could always get worse. So sometimes you should not ask for things to improve. Maybe.

Airey did his best to maintain a stoic exterior, although on the inside he was laughing loudly and awarding Mr. Barrington 5 points for his sense of humor. But only on the inside.

SPOILER!!: THE GRAVITY

"Indeed," he nodded. "However, we will be utilizing this in just a moment. But fret not, what goes up must come down still very much applies." It was not as though he had enchanted the room to simulate zero gravity - not this time at least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilFox06

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What could make the class better? Besides the smell? Or getting out early? "A bed maybe?" she offered after half-heartedly raising her hand. She then yawned dramatically to prove her point.

It was lateish, okay?

...............................................

Airey merely stared at the fifth year before responding with a single word. "No."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

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“Protection around us to block the cold and smell might be nice.”

Two birds...one stone.

"Protection," he nodded with a small smile. Although something that had been referenced by others, it was the words of Miss Stone that had stood out. "Perhaps in the form of a....space habitat?"

It would make sense in a moment. Probably. Hopefully?

SPOILER!!: THE SPINNING THINGS

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

A smile played on her lips at the professor's response to her answer. Stellar. She'd said something right...and got a little nod too. Hopefully she could keep it up with the next questions too.

It wasn't that cold in here, especially wrapped up in her space blanket. And for that reason, and the fact that others were bound to say it, Sam felt no need to comment on it. She'd roughed it in colder...as had plenty of others. It was chilly, but not threatening. So what else what there?

The bounciness, that was a thing. Though rather than an annoyance, she thought it was pretty cool. "The spinneh fings," she settled on, pointing at one as it whistled past her as she wasn't sure what they were called. "We could do wiff sum protection from 'em." These ones were generally small, but if one got bigger, or managed to pick up one of their quills or books, then they were certainly a risk. "Armour'd do t'trick. Like...tah 'nsure a quill ain't gonna stab us if it got caught in one."

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

He was still watching the mini tornadoes going around the room--it was fine 'cause his quill was taking ....decent notes that he'd decipher later but really....dem tornadoes.

It was kinda odd that Charlotte asked about snails in space and everyone had the right idea about this place needing more warmth but all Blaise could see where the dust devils--AND the smug look on the Professor's face. Was he...was he...enjoying this? When the boy thought about it, his Head of House DID seem happy with himself after cuffing him to Davie.

What was this man?

"Cold aside, don't reckon we'd be very happy if these tornadoes keep running around. I mean they're fun but like if one steals my notebook or my quill.........."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Points weren't going to make up for all the professor's misdeeds, but Dot took 'em. She wasn't stupid. Even when she was feeling wrathful, she still wasn't stupid. She tucked her hair into her blanket cape and gave the man a solemn nod.

"The tornadoes keeping blowing up my robes and that's just rude. I'd like to teach them manners, but at the very least, I'd like wooly socks and a pair of sweatpants to keep out the rude wind things."

"Consider them gone," he chuckled, giving the room another wave of his wand to make it so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ameh

...
"Maybe this is what it feels like on Neptune," the boy murmured to himself very quietly, curling into the blanket a bit more. Cold and stinky.

"ALMOST!" he declared with some more of his infamous dramatic pointing towards the young man whose answer he just so happened to have heard as he made his way around the semicircle of desks. "But not Neptune. Mars."

Which really was the perfect lead in to the next portion of the lesson.

"In theory, what you all just did now with your suggestions is precisely what planetary engineering is all about. More specifically, what terraforming is - the science of transforming a planet to support human life. I simply took a few liberties with the simulation to ensure that no one was at any real risk." Because, as he had already confirmed, he was NOT in fact trying to kill anyone. Simply illustrate a fact or two. "The term itself was first coined in science fiction back in 1942 in a story written by Jack Williamson, but has since then gained momentum in the scientific community. So much so that NASA has held various terraforming conferences and debates over the last century. Of the eight planets in our solar system, Mars is thought to be the most likely candidate to be turned into another Earth and, in fact, the methodology necessary to do so may humanity's technological capabilities. However, as is explained on page 579 of your textbook, there are some very large obstacles in the way of achieving this." He paused for a moment to move back to the middle of the semi circle of desks. "The process would take centuries to achieve and we only saw out first manned orbit to Mars in the early 2040's, so even before a plan could be put in place there is a dispute among scientific minds as to whether or not we, the human race, should terraform Mars at all. What are your thoughts on the subject? Colonization, terraforming, or none of the above? You may refer to your textbooks for further information should the need arise."

There was no right or wrong answer, he was merely curious what the future generation felt when approached with this topic.

OOC: this will be the final question before we get into the main activity. Please feel free to engage with each other and debate, you do not need to wait for me to post again. Instructions for the main activity will be posted approximately 20 hours from the time of this post.

Early 2040's is an arbitrary time period I selected as "in theory" such a mission MAY be possible by the 2030's according to current predictions. I've just fluffed a bit

01-13-2016, 09:22 AM	#121 (permalink)
sweetpinkpixie Wizarding World RPG Admin Minister for Magic Alley Proprietor Leprechaun Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Paths Posts: 40,365 Hogwarts RPG Name: Briallen Ashburry-Hawthorne Gryffindor Second Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Nyle Harden Hufflepuff Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Iris Harden Ravenclaw Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Calliope Barrington Slytherin Second Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Diamond Marchbanks Gryffindor Seventh Year Ministry Department Head: Charles Hollingberry Minister's Office Ministry Department Head: Airey Flamsteed Mysteries Diagon Alley Proprietor: Zachaël Lufkin Owl Post x12 x12	*rearranges* astronomizzle ♧ gryffinDORK \| & the rest is drag ♣ #badluckDerf SPOILER!!: the silent Quote: Originally Posted by itsgisselx3 Oliver beamed at Professor Airey's nodding because he knew he'd given great answers. Duh. Everyone looked at the stars and thought they were pretty and stuff. Like, everyone. And anyone who didn't do it was lame and needed to rethink their priorities and stuff. But then...the professor was saying Ollie had brown stuff on his nose? "I...wha-" Just as he was about to rub the stuff off his nose, Oliver realized he was calling the boy brown noser. Rude. Mumbling, mostly to himself, he said, "Don'ttakemycomplimentsthen." NOT LIKE HE WAS LYING. Gosh. He would just go around giving compliments out to all of the other professors instead. Surely they'd be more grateful. He jotted down notes of everything his classmates said as well as everything else the professor was saying, all brown nosing comments left out of course. And when the next question came, Oliver came close to making a comment about the professor and the spell, just to get back at him...but then he decided against it. The first class was not the time to get points taken away, especially not since they were already down some points. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and wrote down what all the other students had to say. Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir Daxton watched Airey Flamsteed intently once the new plaque had been registered, and tried to gauge his reaction. It was difficult - near impossible, actually - but from what he could tell the man was not amused, which was actually more or less the result Daxton had been after. But... still he still could not tell if the Airey Flamsteed's reaction was the one he ultimately wanted. He did not know what 'two strikes' meant, though could make some logical deductions. It elicited just the shadow of a smile, though the Ravenclaw's mouth and nose were still covered by the space blanket, making it impossible to notice. But then that was it, and disappointment and dissatisfaction seeped in, and Daxton stared at the professor for a good long moment, trying to figure out exactly why he felt disappointed with regards to his reaction, and failing miserably. With a subtle frown suddenly gracing his features, a frown of confusion and of something he could not quite place, Daxton took the new piece of parchment. This time he wrote as small as he possibly could, so small it was nigh on impossible to make out the words were one not stood with their nose almost touching the parchment (soon-to-be plaque), small enough that were he using quill and ink instead of ballpoint pen it would have simply turned into a smudge. That done, Daxton retrieved his wand once more, and tapped the new parchment to make a third plaque. He had done as instructed, had he not? There was his name, there was his year... barely visible, but they were there. He was, technically, following instructions, but now he had the loophole of technically abiding by the rules in case pushing his luck backfired. Leaning back in his chair again, Daxton adjusted the blanket over his face to try and get some cooler air. The effort was futile; using an insulating blanket as a face mask in a foul smelling classroom only worked in theory, but the air he was breathing was too hot, and his breath coming in shorter bursts than he would have liked because of it. He was so focused on this fact that he almost missed that particular bit of information about a field trip. Almost, but not quite. Daxton paused, blinked in the Astronomer's direction, and wondered; he was not sure how he felt about another field trip, though it depended entirely on where they were going. That was... if he would even be permitted to go after last year's debacle. Once again, when the question came, Daxton offered no response. He had his notebook out now, but the blowing wind in the classroom would make it infuriating to try writing in it, and it was not a response that was worth being written down anyway - nor were any of the others being provided. But his answer? The smell. It did not matter that it had already been mentioned; it was unbearable, and it was worth more than one mention. People were moaning about the cold, but Daxton found little issue with the temperature of the room, aside from his feet which, being bare, needed to be tucked underneath him to keep warm and retain sensation. But the stench of the room, that needed to go; Daxton was getting a little lightheaded from using the insulating blanket to cover his face and breathing only hot air, but knew nothing else within his resources would block the smell quite so well. He remained silent, staring off into space and fiddling with the edge of the space blanket, thoughts travelling elsewhere entirely. Quote: Originally Posted by Roselyn Apart from apparently giving a decent answer, he had a bit of trouble understanding some other things that were being mentioned. Like, osculation. What even... He didn't suppose that'd be a word he could look up in his astronomy textbook would it? Aside from that... Despite his shivering cold body, the professor's speech was rather inspiring. YES he was descended from astronomers! YES he wanted to look at the stars! YES he wanted to learn it ALL! All that motivation and inspiration... was probably going to be gone by the time homework came around, so might as well soak it all in while he had the chance. Plus, FIELD TRIP. That was the cherry on top. He wiggled a little more in his seat from the excitement. The guy who mentioned hot chocolate was on the right track. The girl who mentioned making it colder though... So not. Quote: Originally Posted by pundantic Chloe's teeth chattered the more Professor Flamstead spoke She did try to pay attention, really, but it was hard to concentrate when she could barely think. It was that cold. Well, not that cold but she was uncomfortable. And by the time her little brain caught up to the conversation her classmates had already come up with all of the logical and some of the less logical (looking at you Gryffindors) answers to how to make this environment more hospitable. She pulled the shiny blanket closer around herself. Quote: Originally Posted by Hera ...... he was perfectly content with planning his weekend, but as it so happened there was lesson material to be discussed. Or was there? Zeke looked up from his blanket to hear people discussing heating charms and whether they felt cold or not. Like... ??? Wasn't this by design? The blanket thing was kind of a give-away. So then, WHY bother asking? Again, Zeke didn't reply. The obvious points had been made. Issue: Cold; Solution: Magic. TADA! He wasn't going to be the ground-breaking shock-jock of a genius to point that one out, he was deciding that right now it wasn't his style. Continuing to do all the fiddling with the shiny, Zeke peered around as people spoke, but gave no response to Professor Flamsteed. Quote: Originally Posted by Davvy_Wavvy What was this class? It was his second year and Bentley still didn't get it. The only time he was interested in the sky was when he was taking pictures of it, whether in the day or night time. He also didn't understand why it was also, so cold. Like it was bad enough that he had a weather and climate shock every time he came back to school but dealing with it at night too, when the Professor could easily charm them warm was just annoying. Also, what was the point of studying the stars if he couldn't take pictures of them? And you know what? He couldn't! All thanks to professor jerk sausage head Flamsteed. He had to send his precious camera home. Bentley sighed and pulled his blanket closer to him while listening to his classmates. Was this a two hours or one hour lesson session...he couldn't remember. For whatever their reasons, those that had elected to remain silent were each given an approving nod. Mr. Prince, however, received a little more than that as the professor was going to write this off as a small victory over teenage rebellion. Blue eyes passing over each of them in turn, the astronomer did not linger long before moving on to the next raised hand. Quote: Originally Posted by Wisher ... The question was simple and so was the answer. Warmth, get rid of those weed things because it seemed a lot of people were concerned. "I think you have done all you can to make it hospitable without straying from the attributes you need for the lesson?" Ie. the cold. ... Interesting. "Well, thank you," he chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Pebbles with an amused expression. "I shall keep that in mind for future lessons." Only not really, but assuming the boy was humoring the man then he would humor back. Quote: Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE Torrance jerked his hand up in the air to give this answer! His blanket falling off his head. "Sir could we have some hot Cocoa....with sugar" He mumbled the last part. "I know we can't have food or drink in class, but something warm like that'd be a big help." Plus the sugar for Torrance. Give him Sugar Flamsteed!!! "You are welcome to cocoa in your respective common rooms after dismissal," he replied. Quote: Originally Posted by BriGranger1990 ... Kay put her hand up and answered the question: "We can dress like astronauts, like what you are sort of doing, sir. It would help with the smell and with the cold." She said softly. "That is an option," he nodded. Although that was not the sort of response he was looking for. "Although I was looking for options that have to do with changing the actual environment of the room itself rather than what we can do to ourselves." A small distinction, but a significant one. SPOILER!!: THE COLD! Quote: Originally Posted by littledhampir Yes, the classroom was uncomfortable. Thanks, Flamsteed, for pointing that out as if it was not obvious to everyone. As if it was not Flamsteed himself who had made the conditions of the room so undesirable. Olly thought he had liked the man, despite their adverse interactions the previous year, but this was one thing he did not appreciate. Why would he make his students suffer so much? Sure blankets had been provided and Olly might be a tad dramatic, but he still did not appreciate it. He raised his hand. "It's cold," he stated like that was not obvious. "So it would be nice if we could do something to warm it up. Like start a fire. I know a spell, I could start one if you wish." Something told him Flamsteed would not take him up on that offer, but there was no harm in mentioning it. Quote: Originally Posted by Anna Banana AWESOME! A correct answer! She didn't get any extra points like some students did, but that was cool. She knew her time would come! Plus, she was overly amused by some girl's question about snails, and as it turns out, there ARE snails in space! Who would have thought? OHHH, a joint field trip with Herbology! Ariadne loved Herbology, but Muggle Studies? She wasn't sure about that one yet. Speaking of cold temperatures, it WAS still pretty chilly in here. Freezing, maybe? Yes...freezing. Ariadne had an answer, though! "We could be closer to the SUN in here!" she suggested, raising her hand. "But not too close, because we'd be TOO HOT." She paused and thought about what she was saying. "Do you know how to do something like that, Professor? Put a magical Sun in a classroom?" Another pause. "ALSO, can I float in the air like that girl?" she asked, looking up at Charlotte Kettleburn. It looked pretty awesome to be spending class just soaring around up there. This was the girl who'd asked about space snails, too! NEW FRIEND ALERT. Quote: Originally Posted by Squishy As Professor Flamsteed spoke, Esme continued to take notes. She could understand what he was saying, and that was good because he sometimes got rather long-winded in his lectures. She liked the man, but it was true. Her hand was going numb. The blanket helped most of her, but her poor hand was left exposed as was her head. Not very nice at all. At the next question, she raised her freezing hand to reply. "I think the Insulating Charm would really help." You know...to go with the heating charms and fires that her classmates were suggesting. That way the warmth would actually STAY inside and no more cold would get in. Win win in her book. But what to do about those tornadoes that he had obviously created? Too bad she only had one suggestion she could give. Quote: Originally Posted by Goblinfrog Kitty raised her hand. "I don't know if this counts really, but a heater would make it warmer, right? That's something the Muggles have to heat their houses, it's not magical but I've been in buildings with them and they really work." Both her and her Muggle dad lived with her mother (who was a witch) but her dad often took her to visit Muggle stores and that is how she knew of heaters. After answering the question Kitty turned to look at the student sitting next to her, (Ailsa Cailleach Denaker) wondering what her answer would be. Quote: Originally Posted by Mell Ooh this was one Trixie could answer because it was so obvious. To her anyway. She raised her hand high in the air almost lifting herself out of the seat. "A little warmth would be nice." The cold hadn't been so noticeable at first but the longer she sat there, the more she could feel it. Quote: Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy As her answer was given she set her hands back down on her lap. The salute she received from Admiral Airey was welcomed with a smile. Nice. Listening to the answers of those given around her Hady couldn't help but notice that nearly everyone was covering themselves up with their space blankets. True as it was that she herself did have her own blanket covering her lap she honestly wasn't very cold. With a slight laugh under her breath she brought her attention back to the Professor. Mentions of a joint field trip had certainly gotten her attention. Yes! Field trips were always the best! It didn't matter if said trip was boring it was a break from lessons and a chance to get outside the area of Hogwarts with friends. Whatever it happened to be this term was going to be looked forward too. However a question was asked and Hady had to cap her thoughts and focus once more. "Personally I'm used to the cold so it doesn't exactly bother me any but maybe the use of a simple heating charm or any other number of charms could be used depending on the discomfort one is currently experiencing?" A simple answer really but an answer none-the-less. Quote: Originally Posted by RandomRaven Wait, why he was chuckling when she mentioned that this world is not as a same size as a pea? She didn't find any appropriate size to explain about small things beside the pea. Well, maybe she would find it later. Did he just mention about the join field trip with Herbology and Muggle Studies class too? Awesome! The young lioness just couldn't wait for that time. And now the Astronomy Professor mentioned about how this classroom should be hospitable. Hospitable? Well, she didn't want Professor Flamsteed to turn the classroom into as hospital. Ava didn't like hospitals. It's creepy, full of sick and dying people, it's also had a weird strong scent. But clearly, there's something wrong from this classroom. "Professor, I think we need a light and warmth from the sun. But I don't need you to change this classroom into a hospital or whatever." the young lioness spoke up. Quote: Originally Posted by Symphora Henric blinked in amazement. Woah....woaaah! Where were all of her new found confidence came from?! Her answers were...absolutely spectacular! She even got herself five points from Admiral Flamsteed too! As expected of bis brilliant girlfriend, way to go llia and gave her two thumbs up. His teeth was chattering now, his blanket pulled over his head for extra coverage. He was too cold to answer the first question.sigh Henric raised his hands,"Admiral s-sir...is it possible if we c-could just let the sunrays come in...a little heat generated w-would be nice too," he suggested as he tried to stop his mouth from shivering. Naturally, the side of his body leaned closer to llia. Hehe. Prince George, her petrock seemed to relish the comfort of the warm blanket. Eyeing her rock a little, he pulled his blanket closer to his body even more. Quote: Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 Janelle took notes as her classmates gave their answers to the first question. She kind of wished that she had brought her gloves to class because her hands were freezing (as was the rest of her). The space blanket couldn't help that and her fingers were starting to cramp up from the writing and the cold. When Professor Flamsteed moved on to ask his second question, Janelle's hand shot up into the air. She was too slow apparently because someone presented her answer before she had a chance to share it. The hot air charm would definitely be good to warm things up in the classroom. By the time Janelle was called on, she had switched to plan B or answer B, as the case may be. "We could definitely stand for the room to be made warmer. Maybe bluebell flames could help a little bit." As for the incredible stench, well that was another problem entirely. Fortunately Janelle was pretty adept at breathing through her mouth and trying not to smell. Even so, she couldn't help but catch a whiff every now and then. And it was not pretty. Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Rachel smiled at Professor Flamsteed's head bow as she adjusted her space blanket tighter around her. She glanced over at Haddie, hoping her best friend was okay now before directing her attention to the book in front of her so that she could make notes in the form of jottings. What perked the girl's interest was the mention of the joint lesson of Astronomy, Muggle Studies and Herbology. She wondered what this lesson could be about but as long as it involved plants, she didn't mind what they did. Rachel raised her hand once more. "Perhaps the use of an Insulation Charm, Professor. We would all be extensively less cold then.'' Poor Henric was obviously having a difficult time coping with the extreme cold. With the sun having gone down hours prior, they would need to wait until morning for its rays to warm the classroom - although those responses did receive small nods as he made his way around the raised hands. "Temperature," he agreed as he removed his wand from his enchanted breast pocket once again and raised it in preparation. "Thankfully, I did not go to such extremes as to simulate a planetwide -55 degrees Celsius, but raising and regulating the temperature of the classroom would certainly make for a more comfortable." Then, with a small flick of his wand, the enchantments in place to make the room feel like an invisible snow storm was in place were removed. Gradually, the temperature began to rise and soon the blankets were no longer necessary. Quote: Originally Posted by Luna_Midnight ... Make it more hospitable? Well the normal answer would be to make it warmer, not wanting to follow the crowd Arista's hand shot out and she said the first thing that came to her mind "Make it colder." Erm what?? Had she really just suggested that. Oh well, no going back now. Maybe she should have put more thought into her original unique answer. Next time. Unless you were Miss Royal. Apparently. Who seemed to rather enjoy the cold and perhaps would have appreciated it if he had in fact made the classroom excruciatingly cold. Quote: Originally Posted by hayim ... "Oh, um as for the classroom environment maybe put more lint rollers outside? There was a line to use this one" She smiled nervously- She had just spoken in a class for the first time. "Oh. Suggestion noted," he nodded to the first year. Quote: Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl ... "I think conditions could be adjusted by taking away your wand, sir, because I am assuming you are the one responsible for magically creating these conditions. Also, could we get some couches and armchairs, because the desks aren't the most comfortable to sit in, as a suggestion, sir. AND also, could you please grab my best friend and keep her from floating away, because she hasn't even gotten to see what snails look like with space helmets on, and I bet she would really enjoy that field trip later on in the term." Please. He was just a little bit concerned over here. David pushed his glasses up his nose again and gave the professor a serious, but not unkind, LOOK. ................Ravenclaws. Sweet solstice. Clearing his throat at the first part of Mr. David's answer, the astronomer DID take the latter half into consideration and looked over in the direction the second year indicated... Quote: Originally Posted by Tegz WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH SPACE SNAILS!?!!!?!!! Charlotte stood up in excitement, which turned out to be a mistake since it sent her floating UP well into the air. If she was supposed to focus on answering questions now when she was a) floating and b) there were books about SNASTRONAUTS (snail astronauts) then that was just too bad because it wasn't happening. "Not to worry, Mr. David. What goes up must come down," he mused. After all, gravity in the classroom was still very much present. Just at one third capacity as per usual. Still, to be absolutely sure, he did bound over and grab Miss Kettleburn by the leg to gently drag her back down to her seat. SPOILER!!: THE SMELL! Quote: Originally Posted by Yourenodaisy Samantha was not particularly interested in answering the last question. After all, Space wasn't really her thing, or at least not studying it. She'd rather be watching movies about the stars, not actually learning about them. She spent her time poking at the interesting name thing on her desk, as she listened to the others answer But that did catch her attention. They were going on a field-trip? awesome!! Not like classes here were super boring like her old school had been. After all, they were just having their first lessons and all, but trips were always fun. And then her Head of House asked a very good question. Except Ice haired Carl's answer made her frown. She raised her hand. "No, I think the floaty stuff is fun, I like it. You should make the boys put their shoes on or take baths or something because it smells funny in here." And she was used to what normal people would think smelled... bad. And well obviously the boys were the reason it smelled. Quote: Originally Posted by Sararara Norah grinned at Professor Flamsteed, a little surprised that he hadn't jumped on anybody's desks yet, and picked up a quill to record his explanation. Alright. Hand back in the cocoon now, yeah? It was AWFULLY cold, and as hard as she was trying, she wasn't getting used to it. What a life. It did make the next question fitting, though, so with a slightly wrinkled nose she held a hand over her head. He really should've told them to bring gloves. "You could fill the room with loads and loads and loads of FLOWERS! The lovely smelling kind, not the other ones." Y'know, 'cause the smell was only getting more and more dreadful. It'd stink for anybody who had allergies, though, which was unfair. She didn't even like to think about what her life would be if she couldn't smell FLOWERS. Quote: Originally Posted by Awarlesta Black Cal had been quietly shielded under the blanket. From the cold, from the smell, from the corny jokes the professor was dropping. "Dude--Professor, maybe some flowers or something could help." IT SMELLS SOOOO BAD. It smells like that time Vin cut the cheese after eating twenty pumpkin pasties. "Or just open a window, that could work, too." Quote: Originally Posted by Mirali SPOILER!!: Sorry Prof, Ailsa can be a bit, er, literal, at times. Ailsa watched the professor's smile fade as she continued her answer. It wasn't terribly surprising. Adults did that a lot with her answers. But really, he did ask why the class was required, and she'd given the correct answer. Had he asked why it was important, or even whether she agreed with the adults' assessment that the class was too important to leave it up to the students' discretion, the girl's response would have been different, but he hadn't asked those things and she stood by her answer, professorial blinking notwithstanding. The prospect of a joint field trip amongst Astronomy, Herbology, and Muggle Studies was certainly interesting; moreso as nothing linking the three classes sprang immediately to the young girl's mind. There was something she didn't know and she looked forward to finding out. As for the professor's question, she listened to the other students' comments, including requests for bubble charms as the professor wore. Those confused her a little since giving people bubble-head charms wouldn't change the conditions in the classroom one bit, they'd just isolate students from it. "The cold we can live with, but maybe the smell could be changed to lilacs?" It wasn't one word, but it was one 'thing' and she'd hang her hat on that technicality. The smell wasn't really that much worse than the barns in summer, if she were honest, but she definitely wouldn't mind an improvement either. Quote: Originally Posted by Ch_Couture Elliot had sat relatively quiet in his corner of the semi-circle taking notes and listening to the other students. He had been silently thanking his one muggle in-law, as she was the only reason he had ever heard the term 'Vulcan'. His little ears perked when he heard the question about making the classroom more comfortable. He set his quill down next to his wand and raised his hand chewing his lip in thought before speaking. "When I was younger and we lived in Romania it would get pretty cold in our house. Our parents would gather us all to tell stories or play a game where we learned something. Anything to keep our minds off the cold and it helped a lot." He thought again for a moment and continued as his nose wrinkled, "My older sister also uses a lot of perfume. Maybe that would help." Quote: Originally Posted by Steelsheen He noticed that, 'ol HoH being taken aback by what he said, and the boy's bright blue-green eyes expressed much amusement since his grin is currently hidden behind his hands. Yeah imagine scraping those things on your downstairs. What fun. Not. And on to the lecture. Tenacius prodded the self-writing quill with his elbow to take notes. Theres a good reason now see? Hands are busy, he's not lazy. But whoah full stop. Did the Prof just say fieldtrip? They be goin' out yaaaas! Are the conditions in the classroom not hospitable? Oh so the Prof was aware? "Its cold and it stinks but I thought this is just how it is for this classroom. Y'know like how swamps are swamps and not a perfumery." How can they make it more comfortable? "Uh… install windows? Keep the cold out and maybe the stink?" Quote: Originally Posted by Lady Marmalade YAY! I got some points. Bella thought, as a grin spread across her face. That certainly got her energy flowing again enough to keep her from yawning and possibly dozing off. She just wished it was a little warmer in here because she wasn't exactly a fan of this type of blanket, but considering where her family was from she was use to cold weather. However, if she had to choose between being cold and the bad smell, she’d choose being cold. "Well no… and yes… maybe. The class room isn't really hospitable because it's cold and stinky; however, you did provide us with these blankets," she replied, before adding. Noting how comfortable he seemed standing there in his suit and bubble head charm, unaffected by the conditions of the room. "I wouldn't mind having one of those bubbles around my head to help with the smell." She didn’t care what he did really as long as she didn’t have to tolerate this smell for the entire class. Quote: Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom ... "You could help us first years out and cast the Bubble Head Charm FOR us," she suggested with a grin. Quote: Originally Posted by StarShine Katherine had truly not consciously felt the stench when she first entered, because 1. new class, 2. new professor, 3. lots of opportunities to learn. However, as soon as she answered, she smelled it and almost couldn't focus on the professor's answer (though she DID hear the 'Excellent,' and smiled to herself proudly). She hadn't got her notebook and quill out yet and now she doubted she should. Was... astronomy tower always windy and stinking like this? She listened to some answers first again. It was striking how many mentioned the temperature, but not the quality of air. So she raised her hand as she involuntarily wrinkled her nose. "I think there's something rotting in here," she said, "or a source of this smell, at least. Because the winds ought to clear the air if it wasn't here." She looked around. "We should locate it and get rid of it." Unless... this was a trick of the professor to teach them yet something again. Nodding his head, the professor gave another flick of the wand to banish the horrendous odor that had plagued the classroom until that moment. Once he was sure the smell had dissipated - meaning he counted to 10 Mississippi-ly - he removed his own Bubble Head Charm. He was unsure if he was impressed or disappointed that no one had taken the initiative to perform the spell on themselves or offer one to a classmate. Perhaps Miss Swynford was on to something with the mention of body odor? Was this general just used to bad smells? Intriguing. "A change in the atmosphere," he nodded to those who had answered with regards to the smell. "Excellent." Quote: Originally Posted by Callie ... "Bonfire!" Prof. Flamsteed had asked for a single word answer about how he could improve conditions in the classroom. And that was hers. "Perhaps that can be arranged for the end of the field trip," he nodded. Complete with delicious how schmoes! But no. Not here not now. Quote: Originally Posted by Meizzner ... "You could make it colder than it would feel like Professor Draper's office" Not really answering the question. But it could always get worse. So sometimes you should not ask for things to improve. Maybe. Airey did his best to maintain a stoic exterior, although on the inside he was laughing loudly and awarding Mr. Barrington 5 points for his sense of humor. But only on the inside. SPOILER!!: THE GRAVITY Quote: Originally Posted by Jean Granger Carl pulled his blanket closer to him and shivered slightly, his cold hand no longer holding his quill. He had ... kind of given up on taking notes. But he would have seven more years of Astronomy lessons, so he would be able to catch up. For now, he was focusing on keeping himself warm. And listening to Professor Flamsteed, of course. He thought the answer to this question was easy, if not obvious. The Hufflepuff raised his hand and when called on, said, "It would be good if we stop getting lifted up into the air whenever we move. I mean, it's fun, but a bit uncomfortable for a lesson." He was thinking of talking about the cold air, but other students have done so already, and there was a Gryffindor girl floating in the air. Oops. "Indeed," he nodded. "However, we will be utilizing this in just a moment. But fret not, what goes up must come down still very much applies." It was not as though he had enchanted the room to simulate zero gravity - not this time at least. Quote: Originally Posted by LilFox06 ... What could make the class better? Besides the smell? Or getting out early? "A bed maybe?" she offered after half-heartedly raising her hand. She then yawned dramatically to prove her point. It was lateish, okay? ............................................... Airey merely stared at the fifth year before responding with a single word. "No." Quote: Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline ... “Protection around us to block the cold and smell might be nice.” Two birds...one stone. "Protection," he nodded with a small smile. Although something that had been referenced by others, it was the words of Miss Stone that had stood out. "Perhaps in the form of a....space habitat?" It would make sense in a moment. Probably. Hopefully? SPOILER!!: THE SPINNING THINGS Quote: Originally Posted by hermygirl A smile played on her lips at the professor's response to her answer. Stellar. She'd said something right...and got a little nod too. Hopefully she could keep it up with the next questions too. It wasn't that cold in here, especially wrapped up in her space blanket. And for that reason, and the fact that others were bound to say it, Sam felt no need to comment on it. She'd roughed it in colder...as had plenty of others. It was chilly, but not threatening. So what else what there? The bounciness, that was a thing. Though rather than an annoyance, she thought it was pretty cool. "The spinneh fings," she settled on, pointing at one as it whistled past her as she wasn't sure what they were called. "We could do wiff sum protection from 'em." These ones were generally small, but if one got bigger, or managed to pick up one of their quills or books, then they were certainly a risk. "Armour'd do t'trick. Like...tah 'nsure a quill ain't gonna stab us if it got caught in one." Quote: Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo He was still watching the mini tornadoes going around the room--it was fine 'cause his quill was taking ....decent notes that he'd decipher later but really....dem tornadoes. It was kinda odd that Charlotte asked about snails in space and everyone had the right idea about this place needing more warmth but all Blaise could see where the dust devils--AND the smug look on the Professor's face. Was he...was he...enjoying this? When the boy thought about it, his Head of House DID seem happy with himself after cuffing him to Davie. What was this man? "Cold aside, don't reckon we'd be very happy if these tornadoes keep running around. I mean they're fun but like if one steals my notebook or my quill.........." Quote: Originally Posted by Cassirin Points weren't going to make up for all the professor's misdeeds, but Dot took 'em. She wasn't stupid. Even when she was feeling wrathful, she still wasn't stupid. She tucked her hair into her blanket cape and gave the man a solemn nod. "The tornadoes keeping blowing up my robes and that's just rude. I'd like to teach them manners, but at the very least, I'd like wooly socks and a pair of sweatpants to keep out the rude wind things." "Consider them gone," he chuckled, giving the room another wave of his wand to make it so. Quote: Originally Posted by Ameh ... "Maybe this is what it feels like on Neptune," the boy murmured to himself very quietly, curling into the blanket a bit more. Cold and stinky. "ALMOST!" he declared with some more of his infamous dramatic pointing towards the young man whose answer he just so happened to have heard as he made his way around the semicircle of desks. "But not Neptune. Mars." Which really was the perfect lead in to the next portion of the lesson. "In theory, what you all just did now with your suggestions is precisely what planetary engineering is all about. More specifically, what terraforming is - the science of transforming a planet to support human life. I simply took a few liberties with the simulation to ensure that no one was at any real risk." Because, as he had already confirmed, he was NOT in fact trying to kill anyone. Simply illustrate a fact or two. "The term itself was first coined in science fiction back in 1942 in a story written by Jack Williamson, but has since then gained momentum in the scientific community. So much so that NASA has held various terraforming conferences and debates over the last century. Of the eight planets in our solar system, Mars is thought to be the most likely candidate to be turned into another Earth and, in fact, the methodology necessary to do so may humanity's technological capabilities. However, as is explained on page 579 of your textbook, there are some very large obstacles in the way of achieving this." He paused for a moment to move back to the middle of the semi circle of desks. "The process would take centuries to achieve and we only saw out first manned orbit to Mars in the early 2040's, so even before a plan could be put in place there is a dispute among scientific minds as to whether or not we, the human race, should terraform Mars at all. What are your thoughts on the subject? Colonization, terraforming, or none of the above? You may refer to your textbooks for further information should the need arise." There was no right or wrong answer, he was merely curious what the future generation felt when approached with this topic. OOC: this will be the final question before we get into the main activity. Please feel free to engage with each other and debate, you do not need to wait for me to post again. Instructions for the main activity will be posted approximately 20 hours from the time of this post. Early 2040's is an arbitrary time period I selected as "in theory" such a mission MAY be possible by the 2030's according to current predictions. I've just fluffed a bit __________________ When you're stuck in a moment and your spark has been stolen .................................................. ........... this is our time to own it, so own it..................................... baby we were born with fire and gold in our eyes