Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, Saturday, All Day

[bigdamnprincipal]

If anyone in Fandom could control the weather, they weren't doing a particularly good job with it today. It was quite hot and sticky outside, so the lawn was filled with as many pop-up tents as could be acquired to provide some well-needed shade. There were plenty of cool drinks and moddable food that would hopefully survive the heat--it might not have felt like summer would be ending any time soon, but it was time to celebrate the coming fall nonetheless!

[Flying OCD-free! Have at it and stay cool!]

Comments

[professionalweirdo]

"Oh wow! A welcome party!"

Gonzo was so ready for his first official day as a college student. (Well. First official day as a college student in this century, anyway. He'd done a whole stint at Danhurst College in the early 80s, but that hardly counted.) He was dressed in his best college student swag, with a blue and yellow letter sweater bearing a very collegiate "FU" on the breast, and a matching blue and yellow visor. He even had a blue and yellow pennant flag in one hand to show his full school spirit!

. . . Did the newly opened Fandom University even have a spirit store?

Did it matter?

Just don't ask Gonzo to sing the school's fight song.

[atreideslioness]

It had taken Ghanima a little longer than she'd hoped to return to Fandom, but duty had called, and Ghanima had Responsibilities.

Said Responsibility was fast asleep in his sling, wisps of red hair peeking out as his mother deftly navigated the lawn, piling a plate high with food before retreating to the shade. The heat wasn't bad, Ghani could handle the heat, but Responsibility was not used to it yet.

And she would never get used to the humidity of this planet.

[itsananomaly]

Cutter was still feeling a little tired from the adventures with the Raptor at the airport but he and Connor were teaching again this semester and the rest of the week had gone by without any incident so they'd been able to portal back to Fandom in time for the Welcome Picnic.

He was feeling a little self conscious about the bandage on his arm but he was looking forward to the picnic and getting back to teaching after everything that had happened back home.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Obviously, Summer was there, and she was planning on sticking mostly to the shade and to a nice cool beverage in her hand at all times, and she was not thinking of enlisting Stark to just follow her around with some big fan or something, how dare you.

[anomaly_research_nerd]

"Well, another semester about to start. You ready?" Connor asked with a grin as he walked over with two drinks in hand - handing one over to Cutter. "I think it will be a good distraction for us with everything else that's been going on. Get back to simpler things like teaching." And that said a lot when teaching at Fandom was considered the easier side of things.

[itsananomaly]

"I think so, I'm looking forward to the start of a new semester, it will be nice to get to something familiar after everything," Cutter smiled as he gratefully took one of the drinks, he raised it in a silent cheer, "thanks," he said as he took a sip, "hopefully it will be a while before we have to head back home and we can settle in a bit,"

[anomaly_research_nerd]

"Would definitely be nice" Connor nodded in agreement as he took a drink of his own. "It should be a good class and a good semester." And as much as he liked working with the team and all he had to agree with Cutter, some down time and a chance to settle in and relax would be really nice.

[itsananomaly]

"It will be nice to get back to teaching the evolutionary sciences, go back to my roots a little," Cutter nodded and hesitated, "Especially since everything is still up in the air with the university, I'll definitely need the job here to supplement my income," he sighed.

[anomaly_research_nerd]

Connor nodded slowly at that, the mention of the University and all. "Yeah, I could have been using the teaching to help fulfil some of the class requirements for the program I was in too." Connor sighed and then shook his head. "We'll figure it out. It's going to be good either way, and I'm glad I get to teach again with you this semester" Connor added with a small smile.

[itsananomaly]

Cutter smiled warmly at that, trying not to think about the uncertainty with the university, he hoped Lester could resolve that for them, "I'm glad I get to teach with you again as well," he said, "I'm glad that we're still able to do this," he added, considering how everything had been several months ago.

[anomaly_research_nerd]

It really was a lot better than it had been at the start of the summer when everything had been so wrong between them. They were still figuring it all out but it was definitely going to be easier than it had been. Connor was really looking forward to the class and getting back into something resembling a normal routine for a change. "It's going to be a fun class. Especially the fossil digs" he said with a grin.

[itsananomaly]

"Same here," Cutter grinned as he took a sip of his drink, "I think this will be a good chance to teach about fossils, I touched a little on it last year when I taught palaeontology but I think maybe in the spring we could go more in depth with fossils and do more practicals,"

[anomaly_research_nerd]

"Will get no argument from me! I think the hands-on and practical bits are the most fun!" Any reason to get out and dig around and discover fossils and anything else was always a good time in Connor's book.

[itsananomaly]

Cutter smiled, "aye," he nodded in agreement, "it will be good to get some practical experience again and go fossil hunting, I haven't been fossil hunting since Becker and I went to the highlands,"

[anomaly_research_nerd]

"Can always tell the class the 'rock licking story' too" Connor said with a grin, because yet Becker would so appreciate that story spreading around!

[itsananomaly]

Cutter couldn't help but laugh at that, "Oh I have to do that, we should record that class for Becker too, so we can immortalise it for him,"

Sorry Becker.

[anomaly_research_nerd]

So, so sorry Becker

"Aye, he will be thrilled to know the story is getting shared and enjoyed!" No not really but sure go ahead and tell yourself that Connor."You've at least got some cool fossils to how the class right off the bat thanks to Becker!"

[amicia_the_amazon]

Amicia had not handled Hugo's brief return... well. It had sent her back into her room for the remainder of the term, lurking in the corner of her room. Making sketches.

But it was a new term, now. Her head and her heart felt lighter. And so, cautiously, she made her way outside, to the picnic. She chose her seat carefully, off in her own little corner. But still, she was there.

[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto was really hoping that going to the welcome picnic would help get him back in the mindset of teaching again (especially since he was back to his solo photography jaunt, and thus didn't have Gladio and Ignis to kick his ass into gear as much if he fell back into moping), but, honestly, he was mostly here because he wanted to get himself back in the habit of getting out in general, especially with Noctra, although it was so humid out that he wasn't sure how long she'd feel comfortable being outside today.

They'd play it by ear, though, and make sure she kept plenty cool, especially in her still summery dress, even though Prompto was itching to start busting out some of the cute autumnal drip he'd been getting for her, too.

They, of course, both had their cameras--Prompto's real, Noctra's an adorable little cloth one--and in lieu of fussing with her, he was encouraging her to 'take pictures' and complimenting her on her 'excellent shots,' though, really, mostly what she was doing was chewing on and drooling on the corners of the toy camera.

Had to start somewhere, though, right?

[suitably_heroic]

Right. So he was still here. Teaching class about something he actually cared about, this time.

Atton didn't know what the hell to think about that. But at least things at the home-- the New York front were okay. He'd spent a week there, doing rehearsals, a gig or two, cracking jokes and making fun of Dane's lack of knowledge about 80s music (which would've been funnier had anyone there known Atton wasn't even from Earth, but he knew he passed well these days). He'd gotten a few furtive glances, but no one had chosen to pick a fight about it.

And now he was back, leaving all of that behind again. Drifting around the picnic, watching without letting on that he was watching, wondering-- well, wondering why coming back was still so easy.

[itsananomaly]

"Oh definitely," Cutter grinned, "and we definitely do have quite the range of fossils to show, we managed to find quite a few different ones so that we can show them, I never did find that trilobite though," he added, "maybe I can ask Becker if I can borrow his for class,"

[flamesburned]

Liz was trying to stay as distracted as possible with these next few days so she thought spending some time at the Welcome Picnic would help, “I think Noctra’s starting to get the hang of the camera,” she said fondly as she watched her start to chew on her toy.

[onlyajones]

Jo had mostly lay low the last couple of weeks after everything had happened, she was starting to feel better about everything and she was looking forward to the picnic and the start of the new semester.

[in_sidon_we_trust]

Sidon had not been on the island much these last few weeks, as the situation with Vah Ruta...well, it hadn't necessarily gotten worse, per se, but it had remained consistent, and that in and of itself was worrying. The monsters throughout Hyrule were getting more restless, too, and so a good deal of attention was being spent on trying to keep them back from getting too close to Zora's Domain, and, in general, there was a nervousness in the air, wondering if the Calamity they had been spending so long trying to keep back was finally about to rise up again and doom Hyrule for all time.

You know.

No big deal.

But Sidon, even if he wasn't going to be teaching again this semester, feeling his distractions would be terribly unfair to his students, still did not want to miss the welcome picnic if he could make it. Which he could! Huzzah! Honestly, it was nice to get back and have a small break from the oppressiveness of potential impending doom, and he was, of course, going to do his best to be his usual bright and cheerful and exuberant self, but anyone who knew him well could easily see that his attention and his focus was clearly far, far away from this lovely little picnic at his alma mater for the new students in its exciting new collegiate direction.

[guillermothegreat]

Guillermo had spent his break at home and had tried to see if he could find out if there were any vampires living near nearby but he hadn't had any luck, still it had been nice to spend some time with his family when he wasn't out trying to prove that vampires existed in his world. He had gotten back at that morning and headed down to the picnic where he was definitely stocking up on the food.