Investigation Results.

[prometheanflame]

Everyone - there's something important I need to share with you.

I took the time to explore the back rooms of the history museum on my break. I found some old brochures under the cabinets and other things, but I also found a crack in the wall.

[An image of a dusty corner, complete with cobweb. It's a closeup of a crack, much like those that have showed up all over the city.]

I went in to investigate an hour ago. I don't know about anywhere else in the city, but this isn't normal. It looked like I had walked into space or some sort of dreamscape, only...this was real. I tried to find where it lead, but I ended up seeing some sort of video recording. Or memory. I can't tell.

Anyway, everything went black and I woke up here. I'm fine, but that video is now on my phone. I'll share it with you.

[Attached is a short movie file for everyone else to watch. They may or may not recognize the man in the video as one of the founders of the city, and the city's first mayor, giving his acceptance speech and making promises of industrializing the city to make it into something big and beautiful. The crowd for the most part seems to be into it, but if they watch closely enough they will see there are several people in the crowd who aren't happy with this agenda. They appear to be farmers and laborers, some of the first settlers and families in the city.]

You can see this, right? It looks to be real from what I can tell.

Comments

[prometheanflame]

No, because I was the teaching assistant for one of his classes.

[frostythehitman]

Job-based immunity, huh?

What was the class, Pranking for Youtube 101?

[prometheanflame]

World Literature 302.

[frostythehitman]

He's a pranker and a lit professor?

Are those two even compatible?

[prometheanflame]

...I don't think I made myself clear enough. He was a student in that class.

Not that he can't be a prankster and a professor.

[frostythehitman]

So he was a student who pranked his TA?

How much did you dock his grade for that?

[prometheanflame]

He tried once when we first met. I told him I would round his essay score down to the next percent and I did.
I could have gone further but he stopped anything short of actual jokes after that.

[frostythehitman]

Just the next percent down? That's like barely anything! I can't believe he got scared off by like half a percent.

[prometheanflame]

It's not the threat itself, but how you present the threat that works.

[Mohammed is more concerned about James thinking lesser of him rather than Joseph]

[frostythehitman]

That's not ominous at all.

What did you do, put a horse head in his bed?

[prometheanflame]

I told him that his professor was one of my mentors, that I am in charge of grading assignments and providing a student assessment at the end of the semester, that his introductory level class would affect his course trajectory for the next four years, and bullying a TA is grounds for disciplinary action.

A few points off one essay wouldn't be as bad as suspension.

I told him this was just a warning, a taste of what was to come if he continued his nonsense.

And yes, I have failed students for other offenses. So many of them forget that we have tools to detect plagiarism in papers.

[frostythehitman]

Wow, that was so intimidating I nearly fell asleep reading that.

[prometheanflame]

You'd be that student that sleeps through class and struggles to write a coherent final essay.

[frostythehitman]

Hey! I never sleep in class, and all my essays are great. I'm not a bad student.

[ Well. His essays are okay. But the rest of it's true! ]

[prometheanflame]

I don't have enough evidence to believe that.

[frostythehitman]

[ oh yeah? OH YEAH???

James literally tears up his entire house just to find: his most recent report card. He takes a photo and uploads it. It's mostly B's, with one B- and one A-. He also takes a photo of two (2) plastic trophies sitting on a bookshelf, both of which read "Perfect Attendance Award" for two different years. ]

That enough evidence for you?

[prometheanflame]

[What the hell, this is better than he had assumed. It's not all "A"s (because that's Model Student level and James is not a Model Student like Mohammed), but more than the grades, it's the perfect attendance awards that surprises him.]

Well. You certainly put the effort into your studies.

[frostythehitman]

Of course I do. What made you just assume I don't? Obviously I take my studies very seriously.

[ He really doesn't, but his dad sure does. ]

[prometheanflame]

[People can be studious but also have a social life? That cannot be.]

Perhaps it was your arrogant tone. I rarely see one's boasts match up to their actions.

[frostythehitman]

You've just never met someone who's confident before.

[prometheanflame]

That's strange. I've been told I've succeed in my studies and extracurricular activities because I'm confident, but I don't walk about bragging about myself.

[Mohammed you kind of do but it's more passive aggressive.]

[frostythehitman]

It's not bragging if it's accurate.

[prometheanflame]

You got me there.