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Sam, who was extremely punctual as always ~~it was not his fault the person typing was suffering through the end of the school year~~.

"Today," he announced, "we are heading to Crater Lake National Park in the fine state of Oregon!"

"The lake is one of the deepest in the world. Not the deepest but impressive nonetheless! Of course that is not the only sight to see there! There is plenty to do! There is hiking, there are Ranger programs, trolley and boat tours, and a walking tour in Rim Village. We will have plenty of time for you to experience what you wish. Come along now, students!"

Once again Sam was hustling people through the portal as if he were not responsible for the timing here.

noonedecidesmyfate

The gremlins were out in full force today in the library and Belle was kept busy trying to stay out of their way. Some of them kept muttering something about "'ohana", one was running rampant in a blue fuzzy costume with an extra set of arms, and one was reading a well-loved copy The Ugly Duckling to a few others.

There was still, from somewhere, the sound of beeping but Belle couldn't identify the source.

All in all, a rather typical day in the library.

sharp_man

Class today met in the Danger Shop, which had been made to look like a very nice dining room, with a gourmet kitchen at one end in case anybody needed to make any last-minute adjustments to their offerings.

"Welcome to our final class," Hannibal greeted them with a smile. "I hope you've all brought your signature items. Today we'll be eating them. There will be no judging, only sharing these things and our stories about why these things are important to us and what meaning they may have."

He waved at his own offering. "I have made croque monsieur. My parents passed away when I was young, and I lived in an orphanage for some time. When my uncle adopted me and moved me to Paris, one of the first things I was given to eat was this. It's a kind of comfort food - a sandwich with ham and gruyère cheese, on good bread, with a béchamel sauce poured over it. Not terribly glamorous, but it held great significance to me."

He sat and nodded at them to do the same, then waited for their dishes and explanations.

carbsliftthespirit

Today the class would once again be greeted by a groaning table full of breakfast foods. Delicious, delicious breakfast foods. "All right," Raiden said, "we've come to the end of our time together, and I thought we could close out with a delicious breakfast...and a preview of the menu for my new restaurant, which is opening soon! So, uh, if you guys have any feedback on any of these ~~handwavey~~ dishes, I need that now. Please? Anyway, enjoy, and it's been fun having you in class!"

deathsmajesty

One last class, one last ethical decision!

Okay, at least, one last painstakingly contrived ethical decision. Your lives were likely going to be filled with them. Which was why Liliana suggested getting rid of as many as possible before that happened. It made things ever so much easier.

Today's breakfast was a variety of sweet and savory breakfast rolls, along with the usual collection of coffees, teas, and fruit juices.

"This, I will admit, I found preprogrammed in the Danger Shop, though I've changed a few of the details," Liliana said, once people were settled in with however much breakfast they desired. "You are a captain of a small spaceship; while it does have both offensive and defensive capabilities, its primary function is that of exploration. One day, you pick up an emergency distress broadcast by the captain of another ship, a ship transporting several civilian families emigrating to a new colony. They think their ship was hit by space debris, damaging many critical functions - including shields and engines - and their hull has been breached. Life support is failing and if they are not rescued soon, they will not survive.

"However, when mapping out where this ship is located, you realize that they have drifted into a dangerous and lawless part of space, where renegade ships of thieves and slavers are known to prey on any ship they think they can outfly or outfight. This could be a legitimate call for help, this could be a ruse from a group waiting to attack your ship, it could even be both: legitimate people in legitimate danger who are being used as unwitting bait. You seem to be the only ship close enough to pick up the distress signal, which means there are no other ships close by to come to their rescue, never mind yours.

"Your crew is asking for your decision; the longer you dither, the higher the likelihood that the ship will run out of life support and that someone unfriendly and opportunistic will find them. Their life expectancy does not increase by much, should that be the case. But for you to go to them, you are risking your lives and the lives of your entire crew, the majority of whom are not trained to fight. For you to ignore them, you are sentencing dozens of people - of families - to death. You have not hailed the other ship yet; you can simply pretend you never heard it and continue on your way. From what you can tell, opinion amongst the crew is pretty evenly split between going to save them and flying away, so asking for a vote won't help. The decision comes down to you, Captain. What is your order: do you attempt to rescue the civilians? Or do you leave the Kobayashi Maru to its fate?"

sith_happened

Today there was a ring of chairs in the middle of the park, so that was fine. Musical chairs was a very normal game to play!

Of course, this was Anakin...

"By popular demand, we're bringing back playing Musical Shares!" Anakin announced through his completely superfluous megaphone. And no one had asked for this game again. "It will be one giant team building exercise!"

That seemed ominous. "Come get your shirts!"

Ohhhh, they were so pink and perky.

Anakin read out the names for the day:
Luma
Steve M
Belle
Stewart
Lydia
Steve R
Eleanor
Jaina
Gray
Rey
Don
Flint

jedigrammarians

There were brilliant white overalls set out for people to wear today, as well as equally brilliant white drapes set up all over the class room, including over several bucket shaped objects. None of this was at all suspicious.

No doubt it would come completely as a surprise when with a utterly terrifying warcry of "ART ATTACK!" Aphra leapt in a conveniently open window and started throwing waterbombs filled with food dye at random. Isabela made a slightly more dignified entrance (if only because Aphra was drawing everyone's attention) with an actual sneak attack from behind.

Needless to say, those drape covered buckets were also full of dye-filled balloons.

Unlike other dye adjacent activities today, there would be no winner. Or rather, you would all be winners. Colourful, colourful winners.

stykera

Once again class was being held in the preserve but today Stark had a teaching buddy with him.

“Today I've brought a friend to tell you about today's potential new hobby. Do you all know Gladio?”

They probably did, right? At least they'd seen him. Gladio was a very noticeable person. And, right now, that very noticeable person had a grin on his face and bro-chin-lifted a greeting to the class.

“Gladio's going to tell us about camping.” And Cup Noodle™. He was contractually obligated to do that part.

"I sure am," Gladio confirmed with an amused snort. "Usually, I'll teach a whole semester on camping, but today we're boiling it down into a single lesson. Which means we're not going to cover a whole lot, but we are going to cover the three big things: your general camping basics," fun fact! Gladio was also ~~paid by~~ a big fan of all of Coleman^™ brand's excellent quality camping products!, "how to pitch a tent," he will be taking note of who snickered at that one!, "and, last but definitely not least, how to build a campfire, so we can enjoy some classic campfire snacks: s'mores, hot dogs, and, of course, Cup Noodle^™."

Because you couldn't have camping without Cup Noodle^™!

"Any questions to start? Because, if not, we'll just get right into it."

heroic_jawline

"Welcome to the last class before break," Steve said. "Since it's hotter than blazes--" no kidding, Steve, "we've added kiddie pools full of water and some paint buckets full of ice water to the course as well. They don't eliminate you like the paint will and we don't want you collapsing from the heat while wearing your gear."

"Please be careful," Tony said. "We do not need a clinic trip, okay?"

They'd never live it down if they took out their entire class!

"Suit up, hydrate, and go have some fun," Steve said, nodding.

ifwebeworthy

Today the students would find themselves back in Valhalla's great feasting hall, the table groaning with food. "I thought that after our labors last week you deserved to enjoy the spoils!" Thor told the students. "So we've roast boar and all that one might wish to accompany it, and plenty of mead and ale and wine! Which makes this the perfect time to learn some drinking songs!"

Don had expressed a concern that some of the students might not be old enough to drink, but Don had been overruled. They were all in university, were they not?

"Neither of these songs comes from my home of Asgard, and indeed they are both rather more modern." One of them was from 1843. Much modern, very wow. "Helan Går is a song of Sweden, which has become popular throughout much of Scandinavia. Fear not if you do not speak Swedish; ~~Wikipedia~~ I have provided a phonetic version so you can sing along." Thor then proceeded to lead everyone in a rousing round of "Helan Går." It surely sounded fantastic.

"The other song for today is even more modern, but I am given to understand it is popular with SCA reenactors and such. It is meant to be sung 'in the round,' which means everyone picks up at a different point in the song." Thor then failed to explain any more about what singing in the round entailed, so likely chaos would ensue as he attempted to lead them in a round of "Lifeblood." "Now, please, eat, drink! Make merry! Sing! You have earned this feast!"

atreideslioness

Trebor was 'helping' today, clinging very hard to his pile of handouts, and everyone was getting a flyer as they arrived, under Ghanima's bemused supervision.

"While this class has been very good at practicing 'leave no trace,' the rules for where we are going today are a bit more strict," she said cheerfully. "Galápagos National Park, Ecuador's first national park, is located about 500 miles west of the mainland and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

"Most famous for their turtles, there is a total of 21 islands with 18 of them considered significant, although today we'll be visiting Tortuga Bay specifically. Sadly, we are outside Baby Turtle Season, so the odds of seeing a live, wild, hatching are very low, but there are plenty of other things to do."

"The wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is globally renowned featuring the Galapagos land iguanas, the marine iguanas, the giant Galapagos tortoise,the green turtle, blue-footed booby, waved albatross, and the Galapagos hawk and Galapagos penguin. Sea lions, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, and several other marine species await divers and snorkelers."

She leaned-over to put a turtle-shaped sun hat on Trebor before picking him up as the portal arrived. "So, let's get going!"

solo_sword

You know how on week one they said they'd be working in the Danger Shop weekly? Oops. It was the classroom today, where each desk had a notebook and pen on it.

"We're going to talk about communication," Jag began. "You've had to communicate with your teammates in these exercises, of course, but that's not the only method."

"You're writing angry letters," Jaina said.

"Yes, that," he said. "You've will each pick a subject you're angry or annoyed about, and write to the person, product or institution causing your ire. These will not be shared outside of this room, and we have a shredder available for use if you choose."

"And once you're done writing, you're going to pair up and perform a bitch check on each others' letters," Jaina said. "Check the tone, whether it's constructive, even if they can be meaner. The other person can correct as necessary, or not."

Listen, sometimes you needed to yell at people in written form. She wasn't about to say you shouldn't.

"You can get started when ready," Jag finished.

snipsnspecks

There was a stage and microphone set up in the classroom today. It was probably nothing to worry about.

Of course not! These teachers were known for how normal and boring their classes were.

"Before we get to that," Anakin said, "you need to show us what you've brought from other people's houses today."

Once Anakin had judged their taste and possibly their life choices, Ahsoka continued. "Your task today is to improvise a love song to Anakin," she said, somehow with a straight face. "We will provide a backing track and there will be a bonus for the best lyrics."

Anakin blinked. "Wait. What?"

"That's what the task says," Ahsoka replied, passing him the clipboard.

"I don't remember this task," Anakin said.

"Have you been bitten by a gremlin recently?"

"No," Anakin said, frowning.

Ahsoka shrugged. "You must have just forgotten, then."

Anakin looked less convinced. "Maybe." He shrugged. "Maybe they'll be good at this."

Maybe.

unusual_sith

Lana was back to dressing in her usual home-galaxy armor today, and smiled as they waited for their portal.

"Today we're going to the other capital city in the galaxy. Kaas City on Dromund Kaas, my own birthplace." The portal came, and she led them through to a wide plaza in the middle of a city. They were under an overhang, which was fortunate, because it was raining.

Lana passed out small electronic devices. "Clip these to your waistband or sleeve," she advised. "They're miniature repulsors that work just enough to keep the rain from falling on you. If we waited for a clear day on Dromund Kaas to visit, we could be years. Kaas City is largely powered by lightning, if that tells you anything about the climate."

Once everyone was a bit more rain-proof, she led them out from under their roof and over to where they could see a bit more of the city. "This is the seat of the Empire. That building over there, with the red lighting and the banners, is the Sith Sanctum, where all Sith have offices, and generally at least a small flat to use when they're here for business. The Empress has a throne room there, too, though I didn't get us an audience. Frankly, Sith politics at their best are boring, and when they're not, it's best to be somewhere else. Instead, you have a few choices. You can wander about here - there are shops and plazas," most of which had statues, and some of which even had fountains, redundant as that was, "or you can board a shuttle," she pointed at it, "and head out of the city for a tour of the wildlife. Strictly shuttle-bound," she stressed. "Most of it is large and deadly. You can also, if you'd rather, head across this plaza, where there's a mid-sized theatre showing a well-regarded opera. Unless you've got the means to translate it," she suspected Charlie did, "you won't understand Sith, but neither do a good number of the other attendees."

She shrugged and waved them to it.

ifwebeworthy

"It's summer," Don said. "Some people will tell you it's not officially summer until the solstice, which is today, but don't listen to them. It's June. It's hot. It's already meteorological summer. And nature wants what? To kill you. Don't get me wrong, nature is meant to be enjoyed, but you must always respect its power. So today I want to veer away from the more unique dangers you might face in these parts and to things to watch out for particularly while having summer fun.

( How not to die at the beach )

needsacatchphrase

It was Friday and there was only one teach in front of the class this week. But that didn't mean there wouldn't still be a class! It was just be to Jane's taste this time around.

"So, I find reading to be very relaxing," Jane told the class. "So I'll be giving you homework for a change this week. I want you to go to either the library or the book store in town and find a book that appeals to you and settle in to enjoy it."

Did Jane have a very dense book on astrophysics? Yes. Yes, she did. Don't you judge how she decompressed.

"You can head to the library now or take the class period to research something you might enjoy."

sharp_man

For today, Hannibal had ~~handwavily~~ advised everyone to wear comfortable clothes for walking in and meet at the causeway. He so rarely got to drive these days!

"Good afternoon," he greeted whomever had come to class. "We'll be driving to the mainland today, so if you will get in and put your seatbelts on, I'll explain as I drive."

Once they'd done that, he said, "Previously, we discussed some of the economics of food. Today we will gain some practical experience, as we observe and discuss the culture around producing food, rather than preparing it. I haven't made any food this week, but that doesn't mean there won't be anything to eat.We'll be working with an organization called Gather Baltimore.

"Local farmers bring their produce to a number of markets around the area; at the end of the day, what they don't sell often gets thrown out. This group takes that food and redistributes it to shelters and societies that feed the hungry. We're going to help them, and I also would like you to speak with the farmers and learn more about how the food is grown and how they make a living."

He looked over his passengers. "I encourage you to take advantage of the entire market. If you'd like to use this opportunity to purchase some food for yourselves, please do. Feel free to take advantage of my good nature and my wallet if necessary." He had at least one of those.

"Also, as next week is the last class, there will be a final project. Your task will be to make and bring in a food item that holds significance for you. A childhood favorite, a cultural keystone, something meaningful. And you should make it yourself if at all possible." Looking at you, Liliana.

He checked his watch. "I will be staying for at least an hour after we arrive. If you would like to leave earlier or stay later, you can always catch a portal."

but_mostly_america

“This week, students, we shall be visiting Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky! There will be no actual mammoths for they are extinct!”

Well. Muppet rules applied so a Muppet Mammoth was not out of the question here. Sam wouldn’t even be that surprised if it happened.

“We shall be exploring the caves, of course! There are tours to experience. That is what I shall be doing! Now, be aware you will not be able to see the entire cave system. There is over 426 miles of caves and we simply do not have time. Come, come hurry up”

carbsliftthespirit

"When it comes to potatoes," Raiden told his class, "the sky's the limit, but there are two classic breakfast options we need to cover: hash browns and home fries. Many will argue about which is superior--" Hash browns. It was hash browns. "--but the truth is they're both delicious parts of the breakfast experience. So you get to choose which you make, and eat." Raiden proceeded to ~~handwavily~~ discuss the difference between hash browns and home fries and demonstrate how to make them. When he was done, he asked, "Any questions? Then let's get to potatoing!" That wasn't a word, buddy.

noonedecidesmyfate

There was a whole display of summer reading today even though summer didn't officially begin until Friday night.

There were also gremlins smelling strongly of sunscreen on tiny lounge chairs reading several of the books. While wearing sunglasses. At least they were quiet today, though they had tracked in sand from somewhere.

Belle was in the mood for summer thrillers and was browsing the featured books hoping something would catch her eye.

deathsmajesty

Once again, breakfast was laid out amongst tables and people were free to find their own seats and make themselves comfortable for what would be another casual, relaxing day in Ethics class.

( Tigger warning for guns and violence, details in the OOC note )

"So," Liliana asked, as she did every week. "What will you do? What is the most ethical way forward? Do you lend your assistance to create a weapon that can and will make death even easier, even faster, even cheaper? Or do you refuse, and prolong their suffering under corruption and tyranny?"

[This post describes abuses of people at the hands of a privileged elite, as well as guns and the potential repercussions of introducing them to your standard, pre-industrial fantasy population. The post does mention the possibility of giving guns to children, but not in any way that evokes modern gun violence (especially in schools), but to highlight the drawbacks of both sides of the ethical decision. The underlying premise of this post taken from Vox Machina S03E07, showing Anna Ripley's tragic backstory and her subsequent offer to Percy is what gave me the idea for Liliana teaching this class in the first place.]

afraid_of_marshmallows

There was a small, personalized rainstorm over Arden's head. It had appeared the minute she'd stepped into the library and she'd be freaking out about her powers if several of the gremlins hadn't also had miniature weather patterns over their heads. One, who was grinning, seemed to be in a perpetual sunbeam. Another two had rain like she did. A fourth was glaring and dark clouds roiled ominously above its head, with occasional flashes of heat lightning.

She was just going to sit here and pretend like she had no idea what weather went with what moods, and definitely like she didn't notice that it rained harder whenever she thought of her depressing showing in class yesterday.

At least the rain disappeared before it hit anything that wasn't her. Like the books.

sith_happened

When the poor schmucks Fandom arrived in the park on Wednesday, they would see four wooden rafts, big enough to each hold four people (or Muppets), bobbing on the pond. In the center of each raft was a metal bucket full of objects. Some were balloon-shaped, some were ball-shaped, others were clearly shoes. One looked suspiciously like Intern Porg.

(Do not throw Intern Porg.)

"We're doing a balloon-ish toss!" Anakin announced. "Pick an object, toss it to your teammate on the next raft over. Do not miss or break the object! Fastest team to get all the way around the circuit wins."

He grinned. "Powers may be used today, and there are plenty of objects in the buckets. No one says you have to only toss things at your own teammates."

Sometimes Anakin just liked to watch the world burn.

"Listen for your names!"

TEAM COWBOY RACCOONS
Gray
Steve R
Eleanor
Vi

TEAM FROGS
Thor
Beaker
Flint
Belle

TEAM COW-TOPUS
Henry
Stark
Steve M
Luma

TEAM SAXY CROCS
Stewart
Mariner
Quinn
Steph

stykera

Class was meeting in the preserve. Hopefully everyone had gotten the handwavey notification of this change of locale.

Stark was standing with a bag at his feet. “I wanted to be outside today,” he said by way of explanation. “So we’re going to try something new. Well, we always do. That’s the point of all of this, trying new things. But today something new to me and maybe to all of you.”

Maybe. He didn’t know what all of you did in your free time. He pointed to the bag at his feet.

“I have binoculars for everyone. Not for me. I don’t need them.” They’d be half useless, after all. He had a small spyglass instead. “And notebooks, and some little books on birds. We’re going to try birdwatching. Or birding. Which is really what it sounds like, just watching for birds. There are plenty of them on the island.” Probably some yet to be discovered species even.

“If you see an Alot of Birds that doesn’t really count as a bird but it’s still notable. But we do have ducks, of course, and the porgs, and flamingos, and all sorts of other birds. So…go out and look for birds. Try not to disturb them, or any other wildlife.”

“So, come get your supplies. And at the end you can report back about what you’ve seen. We all can.”

ifwebeworthy

Upon entering the Danger Shop today the students would find themselves in a pine forest in the middle of winter. Had Thor told them to dress accordingly? He was sure that he had! (Blake was...less sure.) At any rate, they should enjoy the chill before returning to the heat of summer.

Thor sipped his vanilla latte and told the students, "Today we shall be hunting boar! Hunting is good fun, a grand time out in nature with one's friends, plus a necessary task to put meat on the table, especially in winter when stores run low. And the boar is a noble adversary: strong, wily, dangerous...and delicious." He did so love a bit of roast boar. "I have divided you into two teams, and provided everything you will need to hunt the beast, spears and shields and such." He gestured toward the racks with said provisions. Don might have prevailed upon him to include a few fur-lined cloaks and hats, just in case. "The first group to dispatch the beast wins!" He sighed wistfully. "If only it were real and we could feast upon it after, but apparently that's 'too dangerous.'" The sight of Thor doing air quotes might stick with some of the students. "Ah, well. To arms!"

good_for_six

Various crafting stations wear set up around the classroom today, filled with various kinds of beads, cords, wires, and various other bits and bobs.

"Today we're looking at a kind of art very close to my heart," Isabela said. "Literally. It's jewellery. Which is very important to Rivaini in general and Rivaini pirates in particular. We like to wear our wealth." That Isabela's taste in jewellery happened to draw the eye to her other assets was an extremely welcome side-benefit.

"Of course, our budget doesn't really go towards actual precious metals," Aphra added, mostly because they had spent it on...other things. "But we've got a heap of tutorials and we're sure you'll find something that speaks to you, maybe you'll find you have a gift."

imafuturist

"Hello and welcome back," Steve said with a bright smile. "Since the traps and the paint buckets were fun to put up, we're using those again, but today we aren't allowing any powers. And we're not giving you guns, either. They've been hidden around the course."

"It's a Rambo sort of day," Tony added. "I'm sure everyone will do great."

Or maybe just Cal again.

Stop bribing the RNG, Cal.

"And remember, this is just for fun. There's not need to go full zombie apocalypse about this." McGarrett.

intheeyeofthebeholding

"So, um." Jon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It was brought to my attention last week that apparently people don't actually enjoy small-talk." Which just made him want to ask why so many of them insisted on it! "So I thought I would...well, that is, I'd like to know just what it is you do enjoy talking about. If you wanted to say."

Which possibly should have been a first-day topic, but look, he never claimed to be good at this!

atreideslioness

Students had been warned in advance that today would be more aquatic than prior classes, and Ghanima had a beach bag over her shoulder and a large hat on Trebor's head that he kept pulling at and giggling.

"I hope you all brought your sunscreen," she said cheerfully. "We're off to scuba diving at Ras Muhammad National Park, on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. It overlooks the Gulf of Suez on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, and the park is becoming a center of eco-tourism in the region."

"The promontory was known as Ποσείδιον -- Poseidion -- in Antiquity, indicating that it used to have a shrine dedicated to the Greek deity Poseidon. When the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt's government, Ras Muhammad was declared for protection from fishing and other human activities, as some of the fishing methods, such as using dynamite and knives were also impacting on the coral reef and the fish populations. In 1983, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency established the area as a marine reserve for the protection of marine and terrestrial wildlife. More than 220 species of coral are found in the Ras Muhammad area, 125 of them soft coral. The area is home to more than 1,000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 25 species of sea urchins, more than 100 species of mollusks, multiple types of turtles, and 150 species of crustaceans"

"The inland area includes a diversity of desert habitats such as mountains and wadis, gravel and coastal mud plains and sand dunes. The area also plays a role in bird migration, serving as a place of rest and nourishment."

The portal popped into existence, and she reached down to adjusting her son's hat. "So, let's beat the cloudy weather, and hit the waves!"

sith_happened

Your teachers looked much less horrifically hungover this morning, so good job to Anakin and Ahsoka. "Good morning, everyone," Anakin began. "I trust your weekends were filled with brooding about your fathers or father-figures."

He'd been in Fandom a long time.

"Hopefully your homework helped distract from that," Ahsoka said with a dryness that made it clear she had not expected it to.

"Whoops," Anakin said, not looking or sounding sorry.

After Anakin had learnt his lesson from the quality of the things he was given for their homework (let's be real, he never would), Ahsoka continued, "Today's task will be helpful for those of you interested in a future in politics. Because it's going to be slightly less frustrating."

Anakin nodded. "Get all of the banana into the bottle," he said, pointing to the eight tables and the objects on them: a green wine bottle with a stopper attached with a combination lock, and a banana. "You cannot break the bottle. The bottle cannot leave the table. The fastest person to get all of the banana into the bottle wins."

The banana, they didn't mention, was frozen, and the bottle was filled with Jello. Good thing there was a closet filled with moddable objects on the other side of the classroom, right?

"Your time starts now."

unusual_sith

"Welcome," Lana said. There was a large crate with her, which she levitated with the Force to get it through the portal. "Today I imagine we're all melting," since the heat index in Baltimore was 100F, "so we're going somewhere cooler. I've got cold-weather clothing once we're through." She gestured after the crate. Nobody was going to have to put that on until you were actually where it was cool.

She walked through the portal and waited until they showed up, putting on her parka and inviting the others to do the same. Which they might want to, since they were in an ice cave.

Okay, "cooler" might be underselling it.

"Welcome to Hoth. One of the colder settled planets in the galaxy. Well, semi-settled." She waggled her hand. "That is, there are military bases for both the Empire and Republic here, along with outlaw settlements and scavenger and trader outposts. No shopping today, but there is a spectacular view." She led the way outside one everyone was suited up. The cave was halfway up a steep slope, overlooking a gorge with volcanic eruptions every so often that leaked hot rock, making the place a bit artistically foggy and somewhat warmer in places. Where the sun glinted off the ice, it glittered in blues and whites.

"I've got tea and coffee, and a bit of whiskey if you like, and you can take some time to appreciate the view and the cold, or you can carefully walk down to see the eruptions if you'd rather. I trust you to know where 'too close' is."

Then she was sitting on a rock and pouring herself a tea and whiskey.

ifwebeworthy

"Let's talk about what to do if you don't recognize the problem. Your patient has a rash, but it's blue. They're not human, and their anatomy is really different. They were bitten by a radioactive spider, or their problem is caused by a magic spell. If you're unfamiliar with these issues, you may not be sure what to do, and that's okay. There's stuff even the most seasoned ER doc doesn't know.

"The first step is, obviously, not to panic. Take a deep breath. Take a moment, if you need to, and to the extent you can without endangering your patient's life. One time when I was in med school, things went badly wrong in the middle of surgery and the attending walked out of the room, scrubbed out, and then scrubbed back in and came back five minutes later and fixed the problem cool as a cucumber, because he'd taken those five minutes to gather his thoughts and figure out what to do, and that's stuck with me.

"Next, act like it's normal. I don't mean act like you know what you're doing. If your patient is lucid you can ask them all the questions you want about, 'Hey is your heart normally where a human kidney would be?' because hopefully they know better than you, but that blue rash? Don't freak out about it at your patient. It's just going to make them feel bad, and also doubt your ability to help them. Also, proceeding as you would otherwise is never the worst idea. Okay, so the rash is blue. Treat it like you would a rash that wasn't blue until you receive information that makes you change course. Radioactive spider bite? Find out how radioactive it is, obviously, and then treat it like a spider bite and, if indicated, radiation poisoning. It might not be the perfect course of action, but it'll get you farther than standing around doing nothing.

"What else do you think is important to keep in mind when the situation turns out to be not quite what you expected?" Don asked his students. "Let's discuss."

needsacatchphrase

The classroom was dimly lit this week with all the pillows anyone could ever hope for. And not just because Jane was still deeply embarrassed about the weekend! Don't be silly.

It was because it was relaxing.

"So napping," Jane said. "Can really help when the body needs extra sleep."

"Or when you just don't want to deal with something." Don't say the quiet part out loud, Cara.

Rude!

"So, let's settle in," Jane said, wincing.

"Just close your eyes and enjoy not having to do anything," Cara added.

but_mostly_america

“Today, students, we shall be visiting Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona! We do not wish to be late in arriving, punctuality is important so come along!”

Yes, Sam was in a bit of a rush but that was in no way due to his own tardiness ~~in posting class~~.

Once through the portal, Sam turned towards his students once more.

“There are a number of activities here! Most obviously, viewing the fossils! Ancient trees turned to stone. Perhaps you may be interested in one of several trails? Some are more difficult than others. I recommend visiting the visitor centers and museums! I also will be looking into the cultural demonstrations for the culture.”

“Go forth and become cultured and educated! Meet me back here at the appointed time!”

sharp_man

Hannibal nodded to everyone as they settled in. The front of the room featured a table with a number of identical silver cloches over dishes.

When everyone was ready and listening, Hannibal stood behind the table and spoke.

"While I like to think that food can truly be an art form and a beautiful thing, I am well aware that not everybody shares that opinion. Nor does everybody have that option. Art, preference, culture - many things affect how we think of food. One of those is economics. Availability." He looked at them all seriously. "Not everybody gets the best food. Not everybody gets food they can eat. Some people are lucky if they get anything."

He gestured at the dishes. "So. Each of you gets one of these covered dishes. No peeking. When you each have your own, we'll uncover them all. If you don't like what you have, feel free to try to get something else. Barter, bargain, trade, give away, or steal, whatever you like, remembering that you may still need to see each other later. Consider this a hands-on experience."

[OOC: If you play and want to do it randomly, just click a dish below and see what you get. But feel free to check them all out and mod your results for the most interesting playing. :) ]

carbsliftthespirit

"Okay, guys," Raiden said, "today we're gonna make breakfast cake!" Because he was tired of his brothers arguing about it in the group chat. "And this weekend I'm gonna go home and make my brothers breakfast cake." So they would shut up already.

"Now, this recipe isn't really written down, it's just in my head, so follow along and write it down if you want to, okay?" Raiden proceeded through demonstrating how to make a blueberry-studded coffee cake with a cinnamon streusel: the fabled 'breakfast cake.' If you followed his directions, it would turn out fantastic. "Now you just bake it in the oven at 350 until it's golden brown and delicious and a toothpick comes out clean, and ta-da! Cake for breakfast. It's great with coffee, and allegedly also with tea. I'm sure you could substitute other berries or whatever. Any questions, or do we all just want to get straight to eating cake?"

deathsmajesty

After one week in the Danger Shop and one off for a trip abroad, class was once again being held in the conversatory in the creepy mansion in the woods. In addition to the regular selection of beverages, there was a selection of various delicious handpies, each platter accompanied by a discreet list of ingredients, so nobody would have to worry about allergens or dietary restrictions.

"Good morning--" a stretch, considering how early it was and how much Liliana could still be sleeping, "--and welcome back to class." Anyone who expected Liliana to apologize for canceling class while she flitted off to Argentina to get engaged was in for a very long wait. "Today, we're discussing another short story, this one called The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin. It is, in fact, very short, and I highly recommend that people read it, either before the discussion, or on your own time; I've enough copies to pass out. ( But, as a summary )

Liliana looked around the class, violet eyes dark and fathomless. "So here is your cold equation, darlings. You are the pilot. You have medicine for 6 dying men. You are the only ship in the area, there is no chance of a last minute rescue. There is a girl standing in front of you, telling you that she's very sorry, that she just wanted to see her brother, and your ship's computer is informing you that you will reach the point of no return in just a few minutes. What do you do?"

sith_happened

Today's games were not being held in the park, which should have been a red flag. Fortunately, Anakin has provided a red flag!

Twenty feet up.

At the end of a very gross-looking wooden pole dangling over Serenity Cove.

"Today you're all out of for yourselves," Anakin yelled from the top of recycled scaffolding, which had a 40-foot long greased up telephone pole balanced between it about 20 feet up. "Many thanks to our local bars and restaurants for providing the lard, grease, fish guts, Crisco and bacon fat to really lube this thing up. The rules are simple," Anakin said. "Whoever gets across the pole and reaches the flag wins all you can eat at Mooby Burger for a week!" Whether Mooby Burger was a good prize or not was entirely up to the winners. "You may walk, run, or slide your way across, but you may not use supernatural powers."

"And thank you in advance for volunteering!"

Which was news to those volunteers.

"Come and grab your t-shirts Flint, Luma, Jaina, Belle, Lydia, Eleanor, Stewart, Vi, Don, Steve R., Raiden, Sabine, and Steph."

afraid_of_marshmallows

The library was decorated for Halloween. Why? Arden had absolutely no idea. She'd just walked in and there had been jack o'lanterns, crepe paper bats, and cotton batting webs everywhere. Two twelve foot high skeletons were dressed up (one was a wizard in a blue robe and hat spangled with stars, and the other was a pirate) and standing behind the circulation desk.

You know. Where she was supposed to be.

"I'm so not asking," Arden said, with a shake of her head as she sat at one of the tables nearby. "I'm just going to be over here."

Hopefully nobody needed to be checked out. But she wasn't going to get involved with whatever was going on here.

stykera

“This week,” Stark said once everyone was settled in the classroom, “I have art supplies. Drawing supplies really. Sketchbooks, and sheets of paper, lots of different pencils I didn’t know they came in so many types, and colored pencils too. I thought we could draw. Or you can write. Or, if you like, you can just color. I have coloring books. Apparently those are good for occupying yourself or calming down or mindfulness. Things like that.”

He didn't entirely get it but he felt better when he had things to occupy his hands and mind so why not try it?

“So I have the pencils, as I said, and I have markers and crayons and oil pastels and chalks and pens. Plenty of paper in different types and colors. Please, take what you want to use. Try different things. That's the whole point of this, isn't it? Trying out things until you, or we, find something that works for us?”

ifwebeworthy

"Today I thought we could play at a game of hnefatafl," Thor told his students. "Hnefatafl is a strategy game, not unlike your modern chess, played with a board and pieces, and sometimes with dice. Today we will be playing a modern variation developed in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have divided you into pairs, and one of you shall have to play against me. That will be you, Steven." Listen, it might end in bloodshed but anything else would end in at least one person crying.

Thor handwavily went over the rules of Copenhagen hnefatafl, then clapped his hands together. "Now! To our games!"

jedigrammarians

The projector was set up at the front of the class again.

Once everyone had settled, Aphra started. "Sometimes the thing about art is that there is no 'why?', just a 'why not?' and that's beautiful."

"If occasionally worrying," Isabela added. "Are the Australians okay?"

heroic_jawline

Your teachers had shaken off their weekend cheese hangover (and the other hangover. Lord, their alternative selves had put a dent in the wine fridge) and were ready to engage in some healthy competitive exercise!

"So, this week we wanted to test out some new settings," Tony began. "So today's course is a series of jungle gyms with the old game of the floor is lava."

"We didn't actually use lava," Steve said with a quick side-eye at Anakin.

"But if you touch through floor, you're out." Which was just as bad as lava, right?

Steve nodded. "It'll be fun!"

atreideslioness

"I hope you're ready to head north, because we're going to Beringia National Park," Ghanima said cheerfully. "It is the easternmost protected area in Russia, located at the border between Russia and North America, and two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean."

"Until 11,000 BCE, the territory of the park was connected by a land bridge – known as "Beringia" – to North America. On the eastern side, in Alaska, is the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, operated by the US National Park Service. There have been talks between the US and Russia about joining the two parks into a cross-border "international park", but as yet nothing has been formalized, and probably never will be," she said dryly. "Politics."

"The park was formalized as a National Park in 2013, and is spread over two districts on the Chukchi Peninsula: Providensky District to the south, and Chukotsky District to the north. The topography tends to be a maritime highland subarctic tundra, while the mountains are medium height – averaging 900 meters, with the highest being Mt. Iskhodnaya at 1194 meters. There are also extensive tundra plains to explore, for those who don't want to go up a mountain."

"Now, Beringia has the richest biodiversity in the Arctic. In the park there are more than 640 species of Arctic flora, and the fauna of Beringia National Park is the richest among Russian protected areas in tundra."

The portal snapped into existence, and she hoisted Trebor on to her shoulders with a grin. "So, let's get going!"

intheeyeofthebeholding

Jon nodded to them as they settled. "Up until now, we've been largely trying to talk about our own things and connect that way, but apparently one of the principles of conversation is 'embracing small talk'." Did that sound as horrible to you as it did to him?

"So today we're going to talk about the weather. And only the weather." Definitely not anything to do with this weekend. "And we're going to talk about the weather for as long as we're able."

This might be a really short class. Unless someone got Jon going on a tangent about climate change.

sith_happened

On the off chance anyone in the class had ever wondered just how drunk two people with an intimate awareness of their limits and who'd decided to race past those limits could get, the answer was: very. The the point that the only reason Ahsoka wasn't wearing dark glasses to class was that she didn't have ears to hook them over.

"Today," Anakin said, very quietly with his hood up like a normal person who feared light, "is going to be a very quiet class. Very. Quiet."

"So quiet that your task involves almost no talking," Ahsoka, who had hearing much more sensitive than a human's and was deeply regretting that fact, said. Which would explain the stack of whiteboards and markers.

"First you'll very quietly take out your pictures of your best-looking family members and in your softest voice explain who they are or were," Anakin said. "And then we've split you into teams of two. We'll explain more once the pictures are finished."

Once Anakin had finished his near silent judging, Ahsoka continued. "One half of each pair has three minutes to come up with and write down as many obscure animals as they can think of. You can go off into your cubicles now and start writing." She turned to the other half of the pairs. "Once their time is up, you will hand them this clue, which tells them they must attempt to mime their list of animals for you to guess. You will write you guesses down on the whiteboard. The team with the most correct guesses wins."

owmytoe

Class today was back in the Danger Shop, which was made up to look like a ropes course, parts of it high off the ground. Was anyone afraid of heights?

"Welcome back to anyone who was indisposed this weekend," Jaina began, not at all looking at a husband who was resolutely not acknowledging that he'd gotten a boot put on him yesterday for being illegally parked. "We're back to it today, where you're all going to throw on some safety gear and make some teamwork happen."

Jag, also resolutely not a car, continued, "You'll have three tasks that will require you to work together to complete them. You'll have to complete all three by the end of class, and no powers are allowed."

"All right," Jaina said. "Let's get you all suited up."

unusual_sith

Today when they met at Portalocity, Lana was dressed in her Earth clothes, though for previous classes it had been her own galaxy's. She was also wearing a very bright blue scarf. And if you looked close enough to notice, blue contact lenses.

"Today we're headed to the capitol world of the Galactic Republic," she announced. "It's known as Coruscant. The entire planet is one city thousands of levels deep. We'll be heading to a marketplace, since shopping seems to be popular. You can find goods from hundreds of worlds here. A few words of caution: before buying anything, make sure it's safe for humans and for your own species if you're not human." She felt she'd better cover all bases. "Do not go anywhere that isn't public. Do not wander far from the market. Do not, under any circumstances, go down more than two levels."

She gestured at her scarf. "I should be easy to spot. If you need anything or anybody gives you trouble, find me."

With that, she led them into a bustling city square where stalls and shops filled a wide plasteel and synthcrete walkway. If you looked over the side, you would see very far down. Craft large and small zoomed in sketchily-defined lanes above, around, and below. People of all species bartered and bickered for goods.

Don't worry, there probably wouldn't be any blasters or lightsabers pulled.

Probably.

ifwebeworthy

The students would find their teacher absent again today, although never fear! He had a worthy replacement.

"Good afternoon," Thor told them. "Blake is unable to join you today," because his leg was giving him absolute hell so he'd opted against continued corporeal existence.

"I thought we would discuss today the importance of balancing one's humors." He paused, and when Don just sighed, abandoned that avenue as less fun than hoped.

( Medical talk under the cut. )

wrongkindofsith

The projector was set up in the classroom, as were all the comfy cushions and rugs.

"Some days you don't want to leave your home, and just have a 'self-care day' instead," Cara said. "They mostly involve lying on the couch and watching movies. Which is what we'll be doing today."

Needless to say, she'd been outvoted on the movie.

"With popcorn," Jane added. Because that made it even better, right?

Popcorn always made it better.

Fandom High RPG

About the Game

---       Master Game Index
---       IC Community Tags
---       Thinking of Joining?
---       Application Information
---       Existing Character Directory

In-Character Comms

School and Grounds
---       Fandom High School
---       Staff Lounge
---       TA Lounge
---       Student Dorms

Around the Island
---       Fandom Town
---       Fandom Clinic

Communications
---       Radio News Recaps
---       Student Newspaper
---       IC Social Media Posts

Off-Island Travel
---       FH Trips

Once Upon a Time...
---       FH Wishverse AU

Out-of-Character Comms

---       Main OOC Comm
---       Plot Development
---       OOC-but-IC Fun

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