Just a smalltown girl...

"All right," Henry admitted to Mutt. "I am getting a bit sick of horseshoes."

That observation was punctuated with a strike of his hammer down on the twelveth horseshoe of the day, mind you, so he had a reason to.

He sighed. Still, there wasn't more he could think of doing. So the hammer came down again.

"Next time you should come with me to supper club," he said. "I think you'd like seafood."

[[ open ]]

my_own_advocate posting in

"Why is there an otter at the bar?" Lucifer repeated. "Why is there an otter at the bar? Tiny. Why wouldn't there be an otter at the bar?"

He swung right past Tiny, otter-Duke riding on his shoulder, with an air of huffiness about him.

"Just watch!" he bellowed. "There's about to be an otter on the piano!"

[[ open! ]]

stykera posting in

Today’s cupcake theme had nothing to do with the date because superstitions about Friday the 13th weren’t something Stark concerned himself with. ~~or maybe that was because the player couldn’t come up with anything clever~~.

“Good morning, everyone. I hope you’ve been well. Enjoying the slightly warmer weather. Today’s cupcakes come from England. That’s right there, on the map.” Stark pointed out the correct spot. “These are called butterfly cakes. Sometimes fairy cakes but that’s sometimes just the name for all cupcakes there, I think. And they don’t contain any butterflies or fairies. At all. They just look a bit like butterflies, with the wings.”

Stark uncovered the cupcakes in front of him to reveal the wings in question. “Not real wings, but they look like wings. They’re very cute, I think.” He did enjoy cute things. “The wings are made from part of the top of the cupcake. Sometimes they have jam or something similar to look like the butterfly body but sometimes there is just frosting on top and a bit of jam in the middle. You could do any flavor, though the recipe I have is for vanilla with raspberry jam. Chocolate and strawberry would be good, I think. Or chocolate and raspberry. So…if you need help, as always, please ask. If you’d just like to try decorating I have some plain cakes here you can use to start or you can do it all. Whatever you like.”

totalwildcard posting in

There were a lot of recently arrived glass items at Needful Things that Friday. Like really a lot.

And then there was the sound of something crashing to the floor.

"... Whoopsie!"

There was one less recently arrived glass item at Needful Things.

(open)

heroic_jawline posting in

Good morning, everyone, it's Steve Rogers again.

In classes, Liliana was very excited to get to black mana in her class yesterday, Belle tried to explain book blind dates to Caleb, and Don teased us about an eight-legged horse in Norse mythology, but we didn't get to learn about it yet.

In town, Steven and Watts discussed the gift of jam that Blathers gave Steven, Steph definitely wasn't making Valentine's Day plans, so stop asking, Vi, and Gregorith stopped in for Thor's night at the Devil's Nest. And finally, the Supper Club went for seafood in Baltimore.

And that's everything! Have a great morning.

ifwebeworthy posting in

Thor was scrolling on his phone tonight, in search of a drink that would appropriately honor his nephew.

You know. The horse.

He didn't understand why Blake was being so precious about it with his class. Whose brother hadn't been impregnated by a horse to delay a building project?

...don't answer that.

Specials
Man o' War
Horsefeather
Mint Julep

The Devil's Nest is open!

ifwebeworthy posting in

"Okay," Don said, and glanced at the family trees that were still on the whiteboard like a jump scare. "Let's talk about our major players." He pointed with his walking stick at the first name on his list. "Odin. The Allfather. Head of the pantheon, king of the gods. His wife, Frigg--not to be confused with Freya. These are two different goddesses. His son, Thor. I think we're all at least somewhat familiar with him, right?" he joked. "His other son, Baldr, and his other other son, Tyr." Felt weird to just acknowledge them as Odin's sons out loud like that. "Tyr, Odin, Thor, and Frigg remain significant in our day to day lives, because they are the source of the names of four of the English days of the week: Tuesday is Tyr's day, Wednesday is Odin's day, Friday is Frigg's day, and today, Thursday, is Thor's day. Don't let him get a big head about it," he joked.

"Then, of course, we have--" Don tapped the second family tree. "Loki. A trickster god. God of mischief, technically, and thus the troublemaker in many tales and general all-around pain in the ass. Among his children we have Fenris--sorry, Fenrir, it's spelled different here--the wolf that will devour the sun at Ragnarok--more on that to come--and Jörmungandr, the serpent that encircles the world biting its own tail, and also Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. And I did promise to explain that and I will. Just...not this week." You could continue to suffer from curiosity.

"Now, of course there are a lot more gods, some of whom will come up in this class and some of whom may not. If you have any questions about anyone I just talked about, or anyone else on the board, please feel free to ask."

noonedecidesmyfate posting in

Belle did not know who had wrapped up books in brown paper and made very glittery signs about having a blind date with a book.

But she was intrigued by the idea. And so tempted to rip open the paper to see what was what, honestly. But she refrained. Someone else might be very into the mystery!

wrongkindofsith posting in

Oh, I see, it's been another one of those kind of days.

Up at the School, The Long Con looked at a con artist who possibly made all his crimes up, while Creative Writing were not very creative in their choice of movie day.

Otherwise, nothing much happened in either the Dorms or Town.

deathsmajesty posting in

Today was the last week of the original information, next week they'd get to the new material and could anyone blame Liliana for being excited? It helped that they were also talking about her mana this week, the mana she felt most connected to. For something new, she programmed in the ruins of Vithia, from the Alaran shard of Grixis, the class meeting not on cushions and pillows as usual, but on small boats and rafts, floating along the remains of the Vithian aqueduct system.

Power
• What does black mana desire? What is its end goal?

• What means does black mana use to achieve these ends?

• What does black mana care about? What does it represent?

• What does black mana despise? What negatively drives it?

• What is black mana's greatest strength? Greatest weakness?

( Power Through Ruthlessness )

"Again, because free will is paramount, there is no such thing as a 'slippery slope' whereby using more black mana will somehow condemn you to become a power-hungry monster or to see the rest of the world as a toy to play with. Black does not provide a set of goals that black-aligned individuals have to pursue; we are not required to chase political, martial, or financial dominance. Abyss, we do not even even need to pursue selfish goals. Black provides only only a method - do not abide by needless restrictions - and a worldview - power enough to secure our own free will is mandatory. Beyond that, one can choose any goal they desire, for whatever reasons they desire. To have it any other way would be anathema to free will itself. Of course, black encourages people to take care of themselves and discourages putting others first, but - and this is vital - it neither commands the former nor forbids the latter. Black is not above being humble or empathizing with others, or radically changing its self-image and priorities when it's necessary. Black's goals can include finding love, true friendship, and happiness within a community, even living out a life of self-sacrifice or servitude to another without any difficulty at all. The only, only intolerable thing for a black mana philosopher is not being able to decide the course of their own life, everything else is negotiable."

drumsticksandd20s posting in

Look. Look. Just because the store was distinctly devoid of any Valentine-themed displays, in accordance with Steph's refusal to contribute to the blatant commercialism of the holiday, that didn't mean that Steph herself wasn't occupying her every spare moment (so any that weren't helping customers, contacting suppliers, or feeding Saffron) with brainstorming newer and wilder Valentine's date ideas.

Although she was realistic enough to cross magic carpet ride off the list. Not because it was impossible, just because she didn't actually know anyone she felt she could reasonably cajole into hooking her up with a reliable magic carpet.

[OOC: Open!]

hasaknightjob posting in

When Steven arrived at the Museum that morning, Blathers presented him with a small basket of preserves. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary - blueberry, strawberry, orange marmalade, that sort of thing.

The timing seemed odd as Steven couldn't think of anything that would inspire Blathers to give a gift.

Blathers said something about having the blues around this time of year, so it was something to help Steven feel cheerful.

Steven certainly enjoyed being able to say that blueberries might help the winter blues, yes, but that didn't seem to be what Blathers had had in mind.

Regardless, the jams and all looked tasty. Steven put the basket safely with his satchel so he could share it with Llewellyn later.

With that, he was behind the Welcome Desk, working away but as always interruptible for any visitors.

[open!]

talentforlying posting in

"I've got a role-model for you today," John decided as people began showing up. "Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is an American security consultant known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, impostor, and escape artist. He became one of the most famous impostors ever, claiming to have assumed no fewer than eight identities as an airline pilot, a doctor, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent, and a lawyer. He escaped from police custody twice -- once from a taxiing airliner and once from a U.S. federal penitentiary -- before he was 21 years old. He served fewer than five years in prison before starting to work for the federal government. He is currently a consultant and lecturer for the FBI academy and field offices. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company. Abagnale's life story provided the inspiration for the film ~~meta for~~ Catch Me If You Can, a Broadway musical of the same name, and a ghostwritten autobiography also of the same name."

( What I did in my youth is hundreds of times easier today. Technology breeds crime. )

John leaned back against his desk, grinning. "And if that isn't the most perfect example of a con taking on a life of its own to outgrow its own mastermind, I don't know what is.

jedigrammarians posting in

There was a projector set up in the classroom today, those of you familiar with Aphra and Isabela's classes could probably guess where this was going.

"Sometimes the best way to get your own creative juices flowing is engage with other people's creativity," Aphra started them off. "Read books, watch holos, get involved with community theatre if you're feeling masochistic."

"Since we're not, today we'll be watching a film," Isabela added. "It's a classic."

Look, they'd made it nearly halfway into the semester this time.

stykera posting in

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, I’m here again and it’s almost warm today. Almost.

Not many notes so perhaps I will go outside and enjoy not freezing for a little while when I’m done.

At the school there were 2 classes yesterday. Raiden and his students in Feeding Yourself 101 made and ate pasta. Always a good choice. And then in Ethics Anakin and Ahsoka asked us what our favorite deadly sins are. That’s…an interesting question and I’m glad it isn’t last Wednesday right now and let’s move on.

Nothing from the dorms, sorry porg, but at least it’s almost warm outside? And I only have 1 note from the town.

Sairis was in Liliana’s shop setting things up and not being eaten by the chair. That’s good. The chair always seems hungry.

That’s all for today from yesterday.

sith_happened posting in

"In several religions on this planet, there is a common theme regarding Impulses to avoid giving into," Anakin began. "They are called the seven deadly sins."

"They range from things that seem quite reasonable to want to try and avoid," Ahsoka added. "To others that are arguably character flaws at worst."

"Gluttony isn't that bad, or sloth," Anakin agreed. "At least compared with wrath."

"Lust isn't particularly terrible either," Ahsoka said thoughtfully. "Provided proper consent is involved."

"The less I think about and the word lust, the happier I am," Anakin admitted.

"Today we're going to talk about your favourite sin, for whatever value of favourite you find most intriguing."

carbsliftthespirit posting in

"Okay! Today we're gonna learn about..." Raiden did a little drumroll with his hands on the counter. "Pasta! Truly one of the best of the carbs. Actually, all of the carbs are good. We don't play favorites in this house. Now, pasta, or noodles, we're also not the vocab police in this house, is made from flour and water and sometimes egg, and you can make it from scratch but that's way too advanced for this class. In this class we're using the dry stuff in a box." He held up a box of spaghetti. "The different shapes of pasta have different functions and are better for different things, but who cares? Use what you like. I'm not gonna stop you.

"One of the easiest dinner options out there that's like, a real meal is to cook up some pasta and heat up some jarred pasta sauce, put some Parmesan cheese on top and ta-da! Dinner. You can also brown some meat--ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, whatever you like...even probably that fake meat, I won't stop you, vegetarians. You can also throw together an actual recipe without much effort, and then feel like you accomplished something! And in the summer, you can make pasta salad however you like for a cold option. Pasta truly is a versatile king. So! We've got a bunch of ~~handwavey~~ ingredients and stuff; get to making some pasta how you want it."

sairis posting in

Sairis had taken some time setting up some things in the back room over the last week, happy to finally be able to get some work done. Not that he could do much until he had money for supplies, but he'd cleared out a space, planned what to do, and started with some of the things he did have.

If anybody needed any charms, he had a few to demonstrate, at least.

Until then, he was minding the shop. He didn't really have much of an idea of how to do that, but he would manage. He made some tea and walked around, familiarizing himself with the wares.

The chair followed him around almost hopefully, and Sairis glared at it sternly. "I am not sitting in you, and you had best behave yourself if anybody shows up. This might be my first job, but I'm reasonably certain eating clients is bad for business."

stykera posting in

fandom_clinic

The stairs were eventful today. Too eventful. Stark had planned on bringing pizza and coffee with him to the clinic but today he opted for nothing just in case otherwise parts of the island decided to go rogue and change on him while he walked.

"Sorry," he said, waving his empty hands sadly. "It just didn't seem wise to try and carry anything at all given the state of certain things out there."

He was just glad the clinic didn't have stairs. Trying to exit his apartment had been an adventure first thing and then he's gone to class and now he was here and...

"I'll bring pizza next week. And drinks."

Stabby, who had somehow built stairs inside his tank, seemed to be having a great time climbing pathway up and sliding down into the water.

The clinic was open for any possible slide related injuries. The crab was having a great time. And tyke alien was kind of over it. For the moment.

not_a_haint posting in

The kitten still hissed when Caleb approached, but she didn't cower or bat at him at all. And she went for her food pretty readily.

He decided to hang around a bit longer, resting his hand near with one more treat on one outstretched finger.

She was grey, with just a hint of stripes. And a dab of white on one ear.

"What's your name, I wonder."

The shelter is open for anyone who needs a kitty or doggo/pupper break.

Or possibly a ferret. Maybe even a hedgehog.

Current Mood: peaceful

thatwaslucky posting in

Rey hadn't had a problem going to the warehouse, but coming back, she had not been expecting the stairs to become a slide.

The shriek as she slid down, startled, was surely very badass.

Which left her at the bottom, standing to glance up at the slide that she was apparently going to have to walk up now. Maybe if she gave it a minute, it'd turn back? If not, her legs would just kill her tonortow, it was fine.

[Open!]

sharp_man posting in

"Welcome. We have quite a bit to do today, so I will begin quickly," Hannibal said, "but I hope you won't mind. There is quite a bit to learn if you intend to work with gelatin."

He gestured at his setup. "I will be demonstrating by making panna cotta." It had previously been marshmallows in this lesson, but, well. "There are a few techniques to cover in order to make this. Dissolving the gelatin, cooking a mixture to a specific temperature, and carefully mixing different substances. Once we've completed all of that, they will have to sit for several hours in order to gel, so you will have to take them with you and eat them later. I will demonstrate that as well."

He went over the recipe carefully, demonstrating with gelatine powder and real vanilla.

"Any questions?"

intheeyeofthebeholding posting in

Class had been advised to meet in the Danger Shop today, and when they showed up, they would find themselves in a simulation of Hampstead Heath.

"One thing that's supposed to be good for focusing is taking a walk," Jon explained. "I'm not about to go walking around in the current weather, though." He was English, but not insane.

"So here's Hampstead Heath. It's good for walking; there's all kinds of nature and it's not too hilly or anything. Let's go for a walk."

throughaphase posting in

When the students got to the Danger Shop and stepped into their own individual simulations, they'd find a Kitty to hand them their task. And each Kitty was looking a little annoyed thanks to how she'd slipped halfway down what had once been stairs. And then she'd phased, ended up half in the slide, and then it turned back into stairs while she was there just to add I suit to injury.

ANYWAY.

Do the best thing with this cement mixer. You have until the end of class. Your time starts now.

Oh, also there was a cement mixer there.

imafuturist posting in