Just a smalltown girl...

*violent sneezing*

So we all know exactly what kind of week is is by now, so let's just get on with this.

Up at the School, The Long Con, Creative Writing, and Glitter all had their finals which involved, a movie, being cancelled in favour of passing everyone, and cleaning up glitter. One of those is not like the others. Meanwhile, Arden was in the Library against her better judgement, and got a visit from Belle and messages from Cal.

No notes from the Dorms, while in Town, Stark was in the Park, alone, three guesses what Steve and Tony were doing in Stark Towerlet, and Octavia was at the Devil's Nest considering her current life choices.

*more, even more violent, sneezing*

pocketpretzels

Watts and Steven had had a busy week so far - touring the Sapporo Beer Museum, and attending workshops such as making chopsticks and indigo dyeing.

And of course, sampling all different sorts of dishes. Including a wonderful dinner that the hotel chef had prepared for them tonight, after which they headed back to their room.

"That," Watts declared as he opened the door to their hotel room. "Was surely the best one yet."

[ooc: for the husband and nfb for distance!]

heroic_jawline

This was far from their first time with pollen, which was why JARVIS knew to keep certain items on order so that when Steve and Tony finally emerged from their room there was something to eat and drink.

"Want a power bar?" Steve asked, standing in front of the open cabinet in a pair of Stark branded shorts.

afraid_of_marshmallows posting in

Why was Arden here today instead of, you know, at home?

Honestly, she couldn't give a good reason. Sheer pig-headed stubbornness, maybe? And there was no guarantee she was staying the entire shift, either. Goddess, considering she'd checked the clock six times in five minutes, it was possible she wasn't staying the entire hour. But nobody could say she hadn't at least made the attempt!

"...We should get hazard pay for days like this," she muttered.

stykera posting in

Stark had gone into the ice cream shop and walked right back out again. That was not the correct choice of venue. Then he'd thought about baked goods but there had been too many suggestively shaped baked goods on display. So he'd gone into the Perk, ordered a very large iced coffee with a possibly horrifying amount of sugary add-ons, and then immediately outside.

Now he was sitting in the park with his absurd coffee-adjacent beverage. Just sitting. Being moody. It was fine.

It wasn't like outside was going to make the pollen worse, right? Though watching some amorous waterfowl hadn't improved his mood and he'd ended up moving to a different bench not near the pond.

[open park is open for outdoor and alien interactions]

talentforlying posting in

"We were gonna do the Fiddle Game today, but fuck it, none of us have the focus for that, and it's your last class," John said bluntly once everyone arrived.

"Movie Day. Because sometimes, having the right team at your back is the difference between success and total failure."

throughaphase posting in

You know what Kitty needed? (Well, yes.) Less things to do during the week. Did she really need to be this busy? Never mind that anywhere else she'd be pulling eight hour shifts every day but that wasn't the point, the point was that she was annoyed about it now.

"It's the last class, and the place is a mess," Kitty said, gesturing at the classroom that was scattered in little pieces of glitter around the room. "Today we're doing clean up. I have tape, I have nail polish remover, let's get it all up- no- and maybe everyone can work something out by doing something... I'm just not going to finish that sentence. Get to it."

good_for_six posting in

The thing about this week was that as far as Isabela was concerned it mostly just added a pleasant buzz to everything, She was, however, aware this did not seem to be the prevailing attitude on the island, so in the interests of being kind and considerate and not wanting to have to put on pants to teach she stole Aphra's computer (she'd had to turn the internet off on her phone) to send an email to the class.

Congratulations! You all passed! Enjoy yourselves!

stykera posting in

No you weren’t interrupting anything and you know that very well. Just give me the notes. I’d like to leave.

*chittering*

Shut up.

Right. The school had Feeding Yourself 101 where Raiden reminded everyone that takeout is a good idea. And hydration. Raiden is correct. Hydration can be very important.

*chittering*

No I do not need any Gatorade.

Nothing from the dorms. Probably for the best. And so we have the town. Sairis was at the Infinite Consortium…setting fires? Hopefully not to anything Liliana is attached to. Caleb took a walk in the woods in the preserve and set up a campsite. Alone. Or at least he was alone as far as the squirrels can tell. Walking sounds like a good idea. Or maybe running. Or…jumping into the ocean.

Or going to the movies to watch things about making cheese? I’m…I’m not sure if that’s really what was showing or not and I’m not sure I want to know, really. But Bucky was at the movie theater where there may or may not have been “unsexy documentaries about cheese.”

In Tony’s tower, Don was watching hockey? Mostly yelling at hockey, it seems.

Right. One more note. It seems Tino has returned to Caritas which at least meant Kitty could leave early. Good for her.

That’s what I’m doing now. Leaving. Good day.

[now with the actual correct version]

okteiviakom posting in

TONIGHT'S SPECIALS
Any suggestively named cocktail you can think of 50% off!

Right.

What better way was there to be greeted by Fandom after a long while away on a much more secluded island, than to return smack dab in the middle of pollen season? Octavia could've thought of a few, actually, but this was what she got.

Still, she'd let Tiny put up the special of his choosing, and was settling in for an evening of distracting herself from her antsiness until she could return to the Rouge.

It was good to be home, regardless.

[ooc: Big SP warning from me throughout the day, but Tiny is available for modding so don't let that stop you from getting some pollen-charged mingling on!]

sairis posting in

Sairis had no idea what was going on. He just felt...well. The less said about it, the better.

So if he were fidgeting a little more than usual, and burning off some of that energy by actually making fire off and on, that was clearly just normal.

throughaphase posting in

"Did you come back because you heard it was pollen time?" Kitty asked, deeply annoyed.

Tino didn't answer, but his expression said it all.

"Gross," she said, phasing into the bar to start working. "So gross."

The good news was that she had backup so she could leave once they were past her kid's bedtime.

[Open!]

afraid_of_marshmallows posting in

Augh! I'm here! I'm here! I didn't forget! I was--well, don't you worry what I was doing, I'm here now and that's what matters.

*squirrely snickering*

Shut up. Ahem. Anyway, what up, it's me, ya girl, blah blah blah. Let's just get a move on here, okay? Nobody's listening to this anyway, and I've got...plans...to get back to. Shut up. Let's just start talking about School all right? Squirrel had us meditating as far away from one another as we could be and this makes so much more sense now. Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques had us prepare a meal and mine was pretty delicious, I think. And Tasks had the class keep a baseketball on a treadmill for as long as possible, but without touching the ball or the treadmill. This is some advanced problem solving, galaxy brain development for sure.

No Dorms, but also let's not think too hard about why, and in Town, Professor Vess spent most of her shift at the Infinite Consortium daydreaming, Dr. Isley tidied up around Pick Your Poison before heading back home and, honestly, cannot blame her, and Vi was shadowboxing at the Magpie Emporium in order to, ah, work off some energy, which was made all the hard--all the more difficult with Steph there. Raiden was being really rude at Pizza Planet and making aphrodisiac pizzas, when Professor James stopped by after his Clinic to definitely think about pizzas and not how hot Raiden is. Hey! That's my big brother, squirrels! Don't make it weird! And Officers Williams and McGarrett were home that night...and who could say what they were doing, not me! Because I refuse to read anymore of that note; it's three pages long and there's underlining and, nope! That's enough radio for me, today!

So...yeah. Uh. That's today's broadcast, this is Arden signing off, I've got places to go and people to--see, so yeah! I'm off! Enjoy today's track, Do It For Me by RosenfelD. Arden out!

shapethecentury posting in

Bucky had found reasons to stay in Wakanda for the past month, after that disastrous conversation with Jesse. It wasn't smart, and he knew it. Knew he was probably mostly at fault, too. But he'd needed the time.

Maybe still needed time, but he'd still shown back up on the island this morning - only to retreat immediately to the theater.

He felt too off to begin with to have figured out what the island was up to, yet. But Ingrid was apparently well aware, and was actively discouraging anyone from getting hot and heavy in the dark of the auditorium:

NOW SHOWING
UNSEXY SHORT DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT CHEESE

carbsliftthespirit posting in

"Okay, so...it's our final, and...the island appears to be having one of those weeks. So I'm not going to make you work with sharp or hot objects while distracted. That seems like a bad idea. And that's your final lesson: sometimes you just can't cook for yourself. Sometimes you need some help. That's what takeout is for. And Gatorade. Remember to hydrate. You all get As, now get out and uh, be responsible."

hatesparadise

Well, it was that week again. And sometimes you just had to take advantage of it. Which was why he'd shoved Steve out to pick up enough groceries to get them through the week and maybe a good amount of Gatorade for hydration purposes.

This wasn't their first rodeo, thanks.

Look, when you're mid-aged, you sort of had to latch onto the fun things when they happened. Which was why Danny was doing some agitated reorganizing of the bedroom while he waited for Steve to return.

[for the partner! all that slow play]

throughaphase posting in

Last class! Last task! The simulations were in the backyard of the house today, where a treadmill stood next to a basketball.

Keep the basketball on the treadmill for as long as possible. You may not touch the basketball or the treadmill. Powers are not allowed. The treadmill will be turned on in two minutes.

sharp_man posting in

"Welcome to your final," Hannibal told them. Was he aware of the pollen? Of course. Was he going to let it stop this? Of course not. You were both adults; if he could keep from killing people for an hour, you could focus enough for a cooking test.

"Cook me something; the more techniques and awareness you show of what we've discussed, the better you will score."

Then he was sitting down with his phone and looking up ~~victims~~ things for later.

intheeyeofthebeholding posting in

"Right. Um." Jon sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "So today was to be 'concentrate on a project as your final'. I even made a project for us. Then the island had...well. Other ideas. So...so maybe let's just meditate. If you can't, that's fine. Just use this as a chance to get away from everybody."

Wasn't that what everyone wanted to do this time of year?

Jon brought up the...well, he was going for meditation room, but apparently it would be the human-sized cat tower program again. He gestured wearily at it. "Have at, I suppose." He turned the air filters on maximum and found a one-hour meditation for them.

stykera posting in

fandom_clinic

Yesterday had been irritating but Stark had tried to ignore it. Today was more of the same feelings and he was resigned to it.

This week had been far more enjoyable in the past.

He came into the clinic, looked at the display of informational pamphlets and a wide variety of prophylactics and sighed. Heavily.

"Take what you need!" One nurse told him, far too cheerfully. "Stabby's got his lobsters visiting so avoid Exam 1. Better for everyone that way. And Exam 4 is... also occupied and you could go in there, they wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure you'd enjoy it all that much."

Another sigh escaped Stark.

"Maybe I should go pick up lunch for everyone? And...gatorade?" Really, Stark just didn't want to be sitting still right now.

The nurse grinned. "Couldn't hurt!"

"It could," Stark said. "It most certainly could."

The clinic was open, the crab was unavailable at this time, and the alien was in and thinking about running off to jump into the sea or similar.

throughaphase posting in

Good morning, Fandom. I guess good morning to some of you more than others.

I'm kind of surprised there's not more debauchery to report on. Gregorith was enjoying the weather outside of the museum, and Rey didn't make it through her shift at Stark's and I can imagine why. Because that's where all our brains are right now.

That's it. Enjoy the week, I guess. Make only one or two regrets!

carbsliftthespirit posting in

Raiden knew what week it was.

Raiden also knew that people needed fuel for all of that...stuff...they were doing. And what better fuel than pizza?

Specials
Chargrilled Oyster Pizza
Shaved Asparagus Pizza
Spinach & Artichoke Pizza
Strawberry, Basil, & Balsamic Pizza

Pizza Planet is open! And serving aphrodisiacs, apparently.

giveittoyoursister posting in

Much as she'd rather stay at home in bed, or out of bed as the mood struck, Vi was being responsible and had come in to work.

For values of work that involved mostly shadowboxing to burn off excess energy while Little Bot trundled around the store with a spray bottle of cold water. So, you know, "work".

joan_of_bark posting in

Pam's portal always left her upstairs in the apartment above the shop, and so going downstairs to check on it didn't take more than half a minute, and--

"Oh no," she muttered, sensing the pollen on the air as her feet touched down on the ground floor. She pinched her brow. "Not again."

Well. She'd just clean up the store a bit and then hightail it back home before she did something she regretted (again).

[[ open ]]

deathsmajesty posting in

It had taken quite an effort to get out of bed and to the shop today, even moreso than usual. And she was getting absolutely no work done, indulging in very inappropriate daydreams instead.

She might notice that something was amiss...eventually. But for now, it was only a few degrees more intense than a normal Monday, here at the Consortium.

imafuturist posting in

I'm here, I'm here! Sorry.

*annoyed chittering*

I was off island, I'm sorry. I'm sure Lydia did a lovely job filling in, though. Hi, everyone. This is Tony Stark, back at it with the news from yesterday. Which is... Caleb was writing on a bench at the park. And that's all the squirrels decided to jot down.

Well, with that, I'll be heading back home now. Enjoy the weekend!

thatwaslucky posting in

Traditionally, Rey hated pollen. It was a days long exercise in blocking an entire island of people out, it gave her a headache, she hated it. Except when she had a super hot boyfriend right there. Then she didn't care about anyone else and it was going to be a great week.

And still, she'd stupidly- stupidly- come in to work. It was only so many hours, she had to get stuff done, something something work ethic, it was fine.

She was getting no work done, at least not well, and was definitely not going to stay her whole shift.

[Open!]

apologizeswithpie posting in

It was cold again, but it was also gloomy and Gregorith was discovering that his inner emo kid liked that.

So he was somewhat bundled up, sitting on a folding chair just outside the entrance to the museum under an umbrella enjoying a mug of the tea that Persephone had sent him.

The museum is open.

mustbeawitch posting in

Good morning, everyone, and yes, it is Saturday once more. The squirrels assure me they shan't disrupt my Sunday, but they have lied about such things before. They are rather squirrely, are they not? La!

Let's see...at the school, Overcoming Obstacles held a 'Puppy Bowl' and Cupcakes of the World(s) learned of cupcakes that are not from Italy. I've nothing from the dormitory, good to see my wards are holding up, but a few notes from the town, where Miss and Dean Skywalker enjoyed bagels and coffee at the former's warehouse , whilst Dr. Quinn was roller...blading...whatever that means, at Needful Things, and was asked about the roller...blades by Miss Skywalker. At the Trooper Station, the troopers in question were engaged in some sort of game or perhaps team building exercise, and Detective Watts was joined for luncheon, which was spent planning their next holiday, with Mr. Grant.

And I am sure a great number of other things happened, but the squirrels didn't bother to note them down. With that, dear listeners, I shall bid you farewell until--hopefully--next week!

not_a_haint posting in

On a bench in the park, there sat a Caleb.

He'd observed how nice it was outside and he could feel the creative juices flowin' so he'd fixed himself a bag of snacks, filled a thermos with coffee and set himself down here with his notebook to do some work on the pulp story that'd been percolatin' in his mind for a few months.

So naturally he was just sort of starin' off into space. But the notebook was open and he had his pen in his hand. That counted as working on his story right?

He could probably use a distraction.

pocketpretzels posting in

The Troopers today were keeping occupied with some sort of game that involved standing inside of a circle on the floor for varying periods of time. Watts wasn't sure of the rules and, frankly, was not inclined to ask.

He'd be in his office if he was needed. Unless he was needed to stand in a circle for some reason.

stykera posting in

“Today’s cupcakes aren't from Italy but they could be,” Stark said. “The recipes i was finding all seemed to not really be Italian from Italy but close enough for now I think? Italy is over here, on the map.” He pointed and added another cupcake sticker.

“So these cupcakes are
Italian Lemon cupcakes. Ricotta is a type of cheese. Good for baking with. And cooking. There's also olive oil and lemons and both of those are often in Italian dishes. So it's an Italian cupcake even if it isn't really an Italian cupcake, I think.”

“So I have all the things you need. Fresh lemon is better than lemon juice you can buy. And there are all sorts of different olive oils. But I've only brought one sort of oil and the lemons you can choose between using the purchased lemon juice or squeezing lemons yourself.”

He'd only one type of ricotta too but at least there was plenty to go around.

“So we'll eat like we're in Italy or at least in a restaurant that says it's Italian…and we'll bake like it too. Unless anyone has questions or something to say?”

thatwaslucky posting in

Rey pulled up to the warehouse with coffee and bagels from JGOB, and set them down on one of the crates while she set up for training today.

Every time she turned her back, one woodchuck got closer and closer to the bag, freezing instantly when she looked over. So she did it a few more times than necessary just to see if he'd chicken out.

The woodchuck remained undeterred.

"I don't even know if you can have that," she said.

[Open!]

okteiviakom

For weeks, for much longer than on any previous trip out to any of their islands, Octavia had been content. Happy to figure out her new, temporary normal, her new temporary habits and routines. Her favorite paths in the woods, her favorite patches of beach to bring a yoga mat to, the places she knew Duke and Lucifer gravitated towards.

But it always got to her in the end. (Still. For now.) That jittery little feeling, calling her back to her actual routines, her actual favorite places.

Calling her home.

She'd told the guys. Sooner rather than later, they'd be heading back to Fandom.

But tonight, they were still here, on their little Chilean island. The sun was setting, and Octavia was out on the beach not too far from the cabin. She was sitting cross-legged on the sand, a small bowl of chopped up fresh fruit on her lap, and her phone and one of those little portable speakers next to her.

Playing music into the darkening night as she watched the water.

I know I don't get there often enough, but God knows I surely try...

Like all the best things, the moment felt to Octavia like freedom to just breathe. A sense of calm. Belonging.

More or less.

[ooc: NFB because of distance, but open to thems that are here.]

imafuturist posting in

There were more than the normal three dogs for class today. But it was in the Danger Shop, so whether or not they were all real dogs was up for debate.

"The Puppy Bowl!" Tony said. Because why not go all out after being missing for two weeks?

Steve had definitely snuck an extra few pups in from a shelter. Shhh. Don't tell.

"Dogs playing football!" Steve said. "Well. Playing fetch. Sometimes napping."

"And sometimes just chewing on things." Fee was absolutely going to town on a football. It would not be lasting through the end of the class.

"It's pretty football adjacent, honestly," Steve admitted.

"So, everyone settle in to have some fun, yeah?" Tony suggested as the football deflated. Fee was a monster like that.

totalwildcard posting in

Harley had been kinda busy as of late. With what? Hey! Mind your own beeswax! Although it mighta-coulda had something to do with the mighty fancy looking ring she was wearing on her pinky, a little bit of a departure from her usual costume jewelry bric-a-brac.

Also there were like stacks of cash up in the apartment, but that was not for anyone to see and certainly not for anyone to tell any authorities about! Parting assholes from their money was practically a public service, anyhow.

Anyway, she was back minding the store that Friday. Or she was skating around the inside of the store on a pair of fetching 1970s roller blades that had just come in, but whatever, it counted!

Hopefully someone would drop by before she got any bright ideas about taking the skates for a spin out on the notoriously cobble stoned and stair-y Fandom streets.

(and open)

heroic_jawline posting in

Good morning, everyone, it's Steve Rogers again with the news of yesterday. In classes, Jane and Cara showed their class a movie about immortal cats--really?

*chittering*

You weren't paying that much attention. Got it. Don got us talking about Norse gender norms and how stories about Thor and Loki don't bend to those norms.

*chittering*

And he brought up the horse thing again, yes. Belle was annoying by whoever had made the library such a mess, and Liliana's mana class put their learning into practice.

In town, Steven set up a game for children in the museum, and Thor was enjoying a quiet night at the Devil's Nest. And that's everything! Have a great weekend.

deathsmajesty posting in

There were four mana pairings left to cover and only two classes left to do so--and, while nothing at Fandom was so kind as to happen on schedule - Liliana hypocrisy at its finest, considering her staunch refusal to be bullied by clocks - she was fairly certain that no one would be in a fit state to pay attention to class next week. She had absolutely no idea how she still nearly had half the pairings remaining, but here she was.

Clearly, she needed to adapt, and she needed to adapt on the fly. Sure, she was mourning her notes, but she genuinely ~~loved~~ respected teaching, and that meant focusing on helping students learn, regardless of how much effort and preparation she'd put into other things.

"Welcome to your second to last class, students," she said crisply. "Quite possibly your last, depending on what the island gets up to next week."

It wouldn't be a spring semester if there wasn't pollen attempting to sabotage a class period.

"Again, by this point, you should be able to look at mana pairings and explain what their concepts are, their similarities and their frictions. So consider this your early final. We have four more pairings to discuss: blue/green, black/red, black/green, and red/green." Next time she taught this course, she was definitely starting with black. Talk about the best color first. "Rather than waste everyone's time with additional lectures, let's put what you've learned into practice."

noonedecidesmyfate posting in

Belle was annoyed today. By everything.

The state of the library when she arrived was not helping.

Why was there spilled ink there? Why were there gum wrappers over there? Why did that table have croissants piled on it? Why were the gremlins wrestling over in the corner?

And why was another group of gremlins holding what looked like a wedding?

The whys would likely remain a mystery but the library was open.

ifwebeworthy posting in

Not going with a theme?

"Quiet."

Nobody said anything, Thor, why were you talking to the air again?

Special
Dealer's Choice - Ask To Be Surprised!

How could it possibly go wrong?

The Devil's Nest is open!

ifwebeworthy posting in

"I want to get a little philosophical today," Don said, "because there's an interesting paradox in Norse mythology, especially when you look at it through the lens of Norse culture, about masculinity. In Norse culture there were a lot of things that were strictly women's things, and a man doing them made you unmanly--and even accusing someone of being unmanly was a duel-worthy offense. But then you look at the gods. Odin and Loki, especially, do a lot of things that are quote-unquote 'unmanly.' Some of the magic they use is supposed to be reserved for women. Loki carries and births offspring. His offspring is a horse, but still. He's not Sleipnir's father, he's his mother. In another myth we covered in class, Thor, mighty warrior that he is, dresses as a woman and poses as a bride. So...what is that? What does it say that these are the stories this society chose to tell, when they go against the tenets of said society? Is it just that the gods are seen as beyond the ways of mortals; so different that the usual rules don't apply? Or is something else at play? What do you think?"

needsacatchphrase posting in

Well, look at that! Jane was back in the classroom this week.

"Hi, everyone. Glad to be back after a busy couple weeks," she said. "Hopefully everything was good here?"

"No one died." That was an exceptionally low bar, Cara.

Yeah, the expression on Jane's face said as much. "Right. That's. Right." Concerning, but they could circle back to it!

"Today we have a movie about... mortality?"

"And cats," Cara added, then after a pause. "The cats don't die."

"We'll always give warning on that." Because they knew better.

Yes. Yes, they did.

wrongkindofsith posting in

This note is just an envelope full of Glitter.

...oh, you were being clever, weren't you, Leroy.

*nervous chittering*

Any other surprises?

*paper shuffling*

Also, Gregorith was at home.

suitably_heroic

The last couple of months had been busy - gigs, work, the first few songs for a next album, maybe, and so much more. Prep for their summer tour was beginning to heat up. Several attempts to schedule a trip to Bear Mountain to just relax hadn't worked out.

Life was just... busy.

And now it was Thursday night, and for once Jack didn't have anything to do.

His apartment didn't have the luxury of an 'outside'. There was no magical fire escape to hang out on, even when the evening felt warm on his skin and the skies were heavy with something pleasant and balmy. So-- he cheated. A little. He used the Force to propel himself to the top of his building, and now he was sitting there, drink in hand, watching the city.

It wasn't always this nice to be alone with his own thoughts. But that had changed over the years. He was--

Ugh, was this contentment?

He pulled out his phone, threw another glance at the skyline, and threw out a few texts to the ether. Better not linger on that feeling for too long - it might run away.

[[ open to texts and phone calls! ]]

hasaknightjob posting in

Steven was feeling chipper when he arrived at the Museum that day. He printed up postcard sized copies of the Museum logo on heavy cardstock, wrote clear numbers on them with a marker, and then hid them around the Museum.

Well - "hid." Not really anything difficult. The intention was for it to be an activity for children to do while they wandered through with their grownups. Spot as many of the cards as they could and then come back to the Welcome desk for a prize of a magnet or a mug.

Not that it had to be limited to children, of course. Grownups were welcome to try too if they felt like it.

That done, Steven sat behind the welcome desk and took care of his regular tasks. He was, of course, available for any visitors who might need him.

[open]

throughaphase posting in

Today the classroom looked the same, except for all of the drop cloths and tarps covering the room. You know, a totally normal change.

"Today we're going to just be... I don't know, throwing glitter at some things," Kitty said. "I have paint you can put glitter in and splatter it around, you can just glue stuff to the walls, I don't care as long as you don't permanently destroy the classroom. I've also got coveralls you can put on if you don't want to get your clothes glittered to hell and back."

Was she maybe running out of ideas and so glad the semester was over soon? Was it obvious?

stykera posting in