The Art of Napping, Extreme Edition; Monday, Second Period [05/23].

[sake_shinigami]

"Good morning, sleepy ducklings ♥, " Shunsui greeted the class as a few good minutes after the designated started time for any lollygaggers, before they got set off through this week's portal to their napping destination du jour. "I do hope none of you are particularly afraid of heights, because, if so, you might want to sit this one out, or at the very least find some soul to cling to through the ordeal, because today, we will be traveling to the Skylodge Adventure Suites in Peru. Said to be the next best thing to sleeping in a condor's nest," he seemed slightly amused by that, though whether it was for why would anyone want to or perhaps that's what I need to pursue next was anyone's guess, "the suites on the side of the mountain should fit us all quite comfortably, but if you wish to pursue a more personal nap or one with just two or three others, there are smaller ones, as well, so we do have options ♥. Normally, one must actually make the long, arduous trek up at least 400 feet of mountain terrain, but, lucky us," and he grinned contentedly at the portal awaiting them, "we have a direct line ♥.

"I suppose you could still do the hike if your intrepid heart so desires, but...that does rather defeat the purpose of the class, neh ♥."

"So, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them now or when we arrive, and let us get to taking our napping experiences to new heights, shall we ♥?"

Paintball!, Monday, May 23, 2022

[heroic_jawline]

Today's campsite seemed remarkably free of barriers to hide behind--but full of tall things to climb.

"Today we're going to concentrate on sniping," Steve said cheerfully.

"So the paintball guns have a little better range and scopes on them this time around," Tony said. Because he tinkered. He was a tinkerer. "They won't always be like this, but it's always good to switch up your skills."

Especially since most of the class was creepily competent with weapons already.

"So today, a hit only counts if you've been sniped," Steve said. "No direct actions."

"Good luck!" Tony added, shouldering a paintball gun.

Catching up on Pop Culture, 3rd period

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Today there was a large flatscreen TV in front of the classroom. Jon waited until everybody was there, then began.

"We're stepping away from the internet today, in order to learn about a TV programme that's been quite influential for a lot of people and has been around, with a brief hiatus, for almost sixty years now: Mr. What. There are also radio shows, comic books, books, and other forms of it, so if you choose to look into it more for yourself after this, you'll have plenty to choose from.

"We'll be watching the first episode of the latest run, and then we'll discuss a bit of the history."

He pressed play.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Tuesday, 3rd Period (5/24)

[drumsticksandd20s]

There was a soundtrack of retro, 8-bit video game music playing softly in the background today, because Steph would swear this stuff was great for motivation without being too distracting.

The pencils and markers and colored pens were back, too, along with stacks of graph paper and large-format blank sketch pads, but more notably there were some new things out on the tables: craft and EVA foam and carbon fiber rods in several pre-cut lengths, various scissors and cutting tools, glues, duct tape, paint, and other moddable within reason craft supplies.

"How's everybody doing with their character creation so far?" Steph asked as soon as it looked like everyone was present. "Coming along? Hope so, because we're going to start with some hands-on work this week. I'm talking costume props and weapons here, people. It's gonna be awesome."

She did a little spin turn and gestured toward the table of supplies with a flourish.

"Now, just to be clear, this isn't going to be a combat heavy LARP, but half the fun is in wandering around and getting to whack each other -- lightly -- with foam swords and things," she added, holding up her hands for emphasis, then tilted her head. "Maybe half. Give or take. Point is, I'm not taking that part of the fun away from you."

She gave a quick overview on the basics of building LARP weaponry, helpfully demonstrating the various components as she did.

"As for costumes... be creative. See what you can come up with out of your own closets -- hell, your friends' closets, as long as you have their permission. If you want to spend your own money on stuff, I'm not gonna stop you, but it's not necessary. I'm a big fan of people exercising their imaginations in these situations, and sometimes all you really need is a cool hat, or a little bit of facepaint, and the fun of bringing your characters to life. The rest is just a bonus." Her expression got a little more serious. "Anyone who tries to make anyone else feel like their costume isn't fancy enough or whatever is not going to like what I have to say to them. Got it?"

And just like that the serious moment was over, and she was back to being upbeat and enthusiastic. "Okay! Anyone who still wants or needs help working on their characters, come and talk to me. And start thinking about what you want your character to accomplish in the actual story, because we're going to start working on that next week. Otherwise, go nuts coming up with your costumes, get started on building your props, work together as much as you want to. Just... maybe don't glue yourselves to anything, okay? Trust me when I say that can get kinda bad."

Disaster! Or Opportunity, Actually? [Monday, 1st Period]

[good_for_six]

Today class was in the Danger Shop. The movie theatre simulation to be precise. Which meant that anyone who'd taken any class ever with Aphra knew what that meant.

"Today it's all about perspective," Isabela told them. "Although really, all of this class is all about perspective and how you look at things."

"Everyone is the hero of their own story," Aphra added. "Which means that no matter they claim to think about right and wrong, it's different when they do it. Often it involves a knife in someone's back." Not that Aphra knew any one who tended to justify putting knives in backs, of course.

"All this means is that whether something is a glorious rise or a terrible fall, is all about whose story you're following. Something to think about while you're watching this."

Not that Isabela would thinking about that. Not when she had friend fiction to write.