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The Perk; Tuesday Noon-ish

There was a hyena lounging right outside the Perk, with a big thing of water in front of him.

Bruce wasn't blocking the door, although he was probably going to be eyeing anyone who entered (or attempted to enter) with some interest. But like, just interest! Unless, you know, you decided to start openly acting threatening towards him or his Harley. So, maybe don't?

Anyway, Harley herself was inside the coffee place, ordering a giant thing of iced coffee with every possible alteration and add-in that she thought would make it the best iced coffee drink of the day, maybe even the week. Hey, she'd acquiesced to the staff's request to leave Brucey outside - even though he was the bestest boy, yes he was! - so the least they could do in return was humor her ridiculous order.

(open, if you wanna brave the hyena, who is actually a very good boy!)

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Pick Your Poison, Tuesday

It was another yard day - but not in the back. Instead, on Tuesday morning, Pam - wearing a sizable sunhat as she considered the weather - strode outside to check the pots out front of the store.

And then added a few more. Young climbing vines, that she pressed up against the facade of the building. Making it, too, come alive a little bit, rather than remaining such cold stone.

She hummed to herself as she worked, a childhood ditty that just wouldn't leave her mind.

[[ open ]]

(Even More) National Park Tours with Sam Eagle, Tuesday 7/8 1st period

“Good morning students! I am Sam Eagle and we shall be visiting National Parks!” Hopefully everyone had read Sam’s notice to meet outside Portalocity. If not, oh well, someone might miss out on the portal. Tsk.

“Today we shall be traveling to California to visit Redwood National Park. And perhaps the State Parks as well but those are less impressive!” That was not true because they were kind of all one park system but Sam was Sam.

“This park is home to the largest tree in the world! Named Hyperion! We will not be visiting this tree. Its location is not disclosed to protect it from people who might do it harm.” Sam needed a stronger word than weirdos for that. “But we will be seeing many impressive trees, never fear!”

“There are a number of visitor’s centers within the parks should you wish for information or to buy souvenirs. There are programs led by rangers and you are also welcome to hike or observe wildlife or simply enjoy the natural beauty of this majestic area until it is time to return. Let us go, students!”

Introductions? Nah. Unnecessary.

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Needful Things, Tuesday

Oh hey! Look who remembered he was kinda sorta pretending to be employed somewhere!

Remy made his way into the shop in his usual manner (with lockpicks if Harley had remembered to lock the place up) and took a leisurely tour around to see if there was anything new or interesting on display.

. . . One of the decided fake-looking (but pretty!) gems was faintly glowing.

He watched it for several moments, trying to decide what to do about it. Should he pick it up? Ignore it? Was this a potential launching mechanism of a ~~plotline~~ adventure? Or a trap laid by a fiend?

. . . You know what? He didn't have the X-men's idiot ball right now, so he was just going to go ahead and leave that alone. Let someone else deal with the consequences of poking strange, glowing rocks.

He did put the entire counter of costume jewelry on sale, though. Just in case.

[open!]

Entry tags:

beach

Beach! [Tuesday, 2nd Period]

In a truly stunning turn of events, class was being held on the beach. A nice sandy part of Serenity Cove to be precise, where Isabela and Aphra were set up with cabana lounges and sun umbrellas.

"Beach," Isabela intoned wisely gesturing to the sand.

Aphra nodded agreement, sipping from a brightly coloured drink that had its own little umbrella. "Beach."

Oh, come on, did any of you expect anything different out of this class?

Paintball! Some More! - Tuesday, 2nd Period

There was just the one teacher ready for the class this week. Well, one human shaped teacher. Steve was also there, but he was a very energetic dog who was already racing around the course that was set up.

"Welcome back," Tony said. "Or welcome in general. Today is a basic day of paintball where powers can be used. Since it's the first go, why not?"

Yes. Welcome to the bloodbath.

"We'll try out new and fun variations as the session progresses, but this one is pretty basic. Other than Steve. Who is also armed." Dog justice.

Fandom Radio, Tuesday, July 8th (As It Always Said)

Hey there, Fandom. It's me, ya girl, Arden Finch, bringing you all of yesterday's hottest gossip that's fit for drunken rodents to write down. Gonna be zipping through the notes today because I've somehow managed to spill tea all over this shirt, too, making me zero for two in the 'keeping shirts clean' category.

Classes started up again at School, starting with Teamwork Part 2, Matrimonial Boogaloo had introductions, followed by a game of telephone. Dean Skywalker was a cat in 2 Problem, 2 Creative, but that didn't stop Professor Tano from having introductions and asking about people's homework from over break. That's just cruel. How To Waste Time On The Internet talked about what their favorite time wasting websites are - TikTok, obviously. You're gonna go over TikTok, right Professor? And Lady Ghanima welcomed everybody to Destiny and Free Will by starting off with philosophical arguments. Oof! Pretty heavy for a first day!

Dorms were 2 Quiet, 2 Empty 4 Notes, so onto Town we go! At the Perk, Jack spilled coffee all over his shirt, too. I feel comforted. Professor Vess was playing the lyre in the Infinite Consortium, and she and Professor Scientia talked about her home, but exactly what they said is still being blacked out by the squirrels for...whatever reason. Turtle and Canary was celebrating National Bubbly Day, while Professor Smith was busy with some last minute preparations. Vi was a person again at the Magpie Emporium, much to Saffron's delight, and Professor Argentum was stocking novelty shirts to sell. In the Clinic, the crab was reading a mystery murder thriller, hopefully for entertainment and not notes. And Raiden hopefully spent the day resting on his laurels at Pizza Planet for Sunday's resounding success.

And--BLEEP! I just got vodka on my pants, thanks squirrels. Now I definitely need to go back and change so I don't smell like a distillery all day. So this is ya girl, Arden Finch, signing off. Have a great rest of your day, Fandom, and enjoy Dove Cameron's newest single, Too Much.

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Atlas Gym; Tuesday [07/08].

Turns out today was the kind of day where Gladio would be running circles, but not on the track at the gym or a treadmill. He was almost inclined to think today was one of those days were the phones were messing up, with how much difficulty he was having trying to get a hold of someone to come check out the washers they used for the towels around the gym, because they just weren't working.

So probably a good thing that the pool didn't get much use, but of course there was a scheduled gremlin synchronized swimming group in later today....

He was going to give it a few more tries, and if he still failed to get a hold anyone, he supposed he'd just have to call in Prompto.

Not exactly cars or guns or computers, but it would be worth a try.

Atlas is open!

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Luke's Diner; Tuesday [07/08].

Since something like RageFest was hardly likely to be Ignis' cup of tea, he was perfectly fine with heading into work that morning while Liliana flirted off to get Summer settled. He was admittedly increasingly intrigued, though, and would be joining his fiancée later, after his shift, for a taste of what the city might have to honor.

Until then? A specials board clearly inspired by Raiden's grand opening of his new brunch spot and anticipating with amusement the tension that was likely to come from the kitchen when they started to realize that all their usual bets were going to be completely thrown today, and he suspected he'd be able to pick up on at least a few murmuring of confused speculation that would just make his coffee that much better.

Today's Specials

Brunch Burger with Bacon Ketchup
Tofu Scramble Breakfast Bowl
Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls

Luke's is open!

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Caritas- Tuesday

Kitty had found that the washer wasn't working this morning when she went to do laundry. She didn't think much of it yet; maybe it was just old. It was annoying but these things happened.

It was more annoying when she realized she didn't out the lid on the blender all the way and it popped off, covering herself and Tino in attempted margarita. She had spare clothes in the office just in case, so that would be an easy enough fix once she finished cleaning up, but Tino, despite living upstairs, was just working with his shirt off now.

So enjoy that, patrons.

[Open!]

Entry tags:

random dorkiness

Meme: Questions

Y'all. I have gotten two hours of sleep tonight and I'm supposed to wake up in an hour and a half so things are not going as planned. So I came up with questions. We last did this in October.

Pose a question (or as many as you'd like, and they don't all have to be in one comment, so you can come back later and add more if you want) to your fellow students, teachers, townies, alumni and expatriates, and they will answer them. These are IC questions and IC answers and should be truthful! They can be personal or silly. You don't have to answer all of them! Nothing counts in game, of course.

So, for example, I'd ping in with a question like 'Are you in love? If so, with who? If not, why not?' And people ping in under me and answer that question. There's no latesies on this, because of the format, so people can ping in at their leisure. And ANYONE can ask questions!

Keep checking throughout the day for more questions!

Entry tags:

destiny and free will

Destiny & Free Will [Monday, Period 4]

Ghanima was already in the classroom as the students assembled, bouncing Trebor on her lap and holding a steaming mug of spiced coffee in one hand, as she subjected each person to an apparently disinterested inspection from her glowing blue-on-blue eyes.

Not even another Truthsayer would have been able to tell what she was thinking.

The moment the bell rang, her eyes snapped from her son to the assembled students. "Good afternoon," she said in a clear voice that carried effortlessly. "This is Destiny and Free Will. If you are in the wrong class, please consider this your opportunity to leave. Although if you are here and believe in fate, then you are where you are supposed to be, no matter what it says on your schedule. And, quite possibly, even if you do not believe"

"Regardless of your views on the matter, I am Lady Ghanima Atreides of the planet Arrakis, a time and place far from here. This fine young man," she set down her coffee to hold up a laughing Trebor, "Is my son, Trebor, First Scion of the House of Atreus."

"I do not answer to 'Lady Atreides,' as that is my grandmother. Ghanima is fine, though if you are one of those who is uncomfortable without an honorific, 'Professor' or 'Miss' is acceptable. Trebor answers to Trebor, or Teddy, if he listens. For those of you whom I have had in class before," she smiled suddenly, looking far less severe. "Welcome back."

"This class is designed to look at the differing opinions on predestination and freewill from a variety of religious, temporal, and philosophical schools of thought," she continued. "Regardless of any personal experiences you may have had on this topic, I expect everyone to maintain a respectful and open mind towards the subject matter and your classmates. Mocking destiny is a dangerous pastime, and not one I will permit during class hours. What you do on your own time, however, is your business."

"There is no syllabus, because to have one would tell you when a class is fated to fall. Or perhaps it is free choice which allows me to not have one." Ghanima's smile was decidedly impish. "For now, I'd like us to discuss as a group if you believe in destiny, free will, or neither, and why."

Entry tags:

internet for dummies

How to Waste Time on the Internet, 3rd period

Jon stood in front of the class and gave them a firm (and only slightly awkward) nod.

"Apparently the way to get the moose to approve my courses is to offer ridiculous things. So, welcome to How to Waste Time on the Internet." He sighed.

"The truth is, there are any number of ways to do that. Most of the internet is one huge waste of time, albeit some parts more interesting and informative than others. But today we're wasting time by introducing ourselves. So, give us your name, how experienced you are or are not with the internet, and if you have one, your favorite time-wasting method involving it. I am Jonathan Sims, I've got about an average amount of experience, which is to say I've been using it since I was in school but I'm still constantly finding ways to be appalled by it, and my favorite method of wasting time involving it is probably cat videos."

He nodded to the first student. "Your turn."

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Pizza Planet, Monday

Not to worry, Raiden hadn't forgotten his first love in all the excitement of a new creative avenue--he meant, business. Totally a money-making business.

He assumed. Look, the financials were Castor's problem, and he hadn't burst into tears yet that Raiden had heard about, so everything was probably fine.

Specials
Prosciutto & Cantaloupe Pizza
Za'atar Eggplant Pizza with Tahini Sauce
Antipasto Pizza

Pizza Planet is open!

Teamwork part two- Monday

They were in a classroom today, where Jag and Jaina were standing at the front, waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Good morning," Jaina started once everyone had arrived. "We've got a mostly new group, so we're going to do the fun intro stuff. I'm Jaina, this is Jag, we're married, and we're going to teach you about teamwork."

"In this class you'll complete exercises in working together, both physically and through communication," Jag continued. "We will be starting easy this week with introductions. Tell us your name and what skills you'd like to work on, and then we'll have a short assignment."

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The Photo Hut; Monday [07/07].

Prompto was always trying to think of ways to help make that bottom line here at the Photo Hut a little better, not so much because he was worried about things like money...well, not with the PH, anyway, because he knew Bloom had that covered, but let's not get into the slight panic he frequently felt regarding his ever-growing family expenditures...but just because he wanted the place to do well in general, and, okay, okay, if it did well, then it would impress the Prof and that was also pretty important to him.

So he was pretty excited when a box of things he ordered finally arrived that morning, and he could spend his day at down in the Hut trying to figure out the best way to display them. It was just a small collection, at first, a few photography-related T-shirts that he'd found cool or relatable, inspirational or funny, or....

Huh.

He didn't remember ordering this one, and, with cheeks going fairly pink, he debated on whether or not to display that one, too. This was, after all, a family business.

(The shirt was, however, still pretty SFW).

Either way, the Photo Hut is open!

Fandom Clinic, Monday 7/7

Brunch had been good yesterday, unsurprisingly, and Stark was already planning when he might go back to try something else.

For now he had the usual coffees (all iced today) for the nurses and himself and some cookies he'd baked over the weekend for sharing.

Stabby was on a tiny lounge chair next to his tank today, reading a novel. A mystery novel for a mystery crustacean. That seemed fitting.

The clinic was open, the crab was reading about murders (which was not at all worrisome, of course), and the alien was in.

Fandom Radio, Monday July 7th

Once again, it seems all the news is confined to a single locale, and that is the grand opening of Raiden's new establishment Over Easy, which my note states is open from 7 until 3, seven days a week, and offers all your breakfast and, er, 'brunch' favorites- in addition to bottomless brunch cocktails on the weekends- *squirrel chittering* Well, I don't know what else you expected me to do with a note that you handed me except read it. How was I supposed to know that was a draft of an advertisement you were hoping to collect payment for?

Moving on, the inaugural brunch was attended by Miss Skywalker, with whom Raiden discussed his reasons for opening the restaurant and also convinced her to give a Bellini a try. What's a- oh, that does sound interesting. I'll have to try one. Stark was also in attendance, and declined the crabcake benedict on account of the fact that one of his coworkers was a crustacean and thus it felt a little odd to him. Miss Zarrin the Elder as well as Miss Zarrin the Younger were educated regarding the difference between a mimosa and a Bellini, and decided to get one of each and try each others. Clever. Miss Vess stopped in as well, ordering one of each of the specials and a lesson on what the seven deadly sins were. Mr. Scientia had words to say regarding his fiancée's overly sugar-laden breakfast choices, but it seems there were no hard feelings as the conversation soon 'devolved into makeouts'. Miss Finch came by for brunch and possibly landed herself a job? At the very least, she did ask Raiden if he needed assistance with anything, before catching him up on how she'd been spending her summer so far. And the aforementioned Mr. Scientia discussed Raiden's need to branch out from pizza, hence the opening of this new restaurant. *more squirrel chittering* No, I'm not sending him an invoice for the airtime. Don't be ridiculous.

That's all, everyone. Until next week.

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The Magpie Emporium, Monday [07/07]

Saffron had been Deeply Neglected over the past few weeks, what with Snuggle Human turning into a kitten and Food human cruelly keeping her from her. Then, Snuggle Human hadn't shown up at all last week. All in all, she didn't know what to do with herself and was making that Snuggle Human's problem.

So now Vi had a cat sprawling over all over her demanding pets while also making a show of ignoring her. She was not going to get much work done today.

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Turtle & Canary; Monday [07/07].

You know, the funny thing about taking a vacation was how, usually, the days leading up to that vacation quickly devolved into the kind of days that made you need that vacation the most. Granted, Summer was well aware of the fact that the store could manage to take care of itself just fine, more often than not, somehow, but there were still things to do be done to make sure they ran smoother and that she didn't come back to a complete chaotic mess or disaster or a new file of cheese panda assaults to add to the record.

If she even came back, that was. After all, unless Ravnica ended up being a total and complete unmitigated disaster...

Summer looked up, squinting at the speakers, which seemed to interrupt the innocuous smooth grocery store jazz with an ominous musical sting.

"Very funny," she murmured, intent to get back to her ordering and emails to let people know she'd be out on vacay for a couple of weeks, only to have Apu hand something over to her that also had her squinting, only this time at the flute of champagne he was handing her.

"Wait, is this to celebrate the fact that you don't have to deal with me for a little while?" she asked.

He said it was a belated National Bubbly Day celebration, but she did not believe him.

And oh hey! There was a pretty great sale on VCRs today, too! Look. Turtle & Canary was dedicated to its commitment to serving people from all places and time periods!

Today's Squishy Flavors
Pineapple
Chocolate Ice Cream
Red

Turtle & Canary is open!