Today, instead of a variety of games, the classroom was set up only with checkers - one board for every two students, and a few extras besides.

Reid stood at the front of the class, waiting for everyone to arrive, before he starts speaking.

"...Everyone here? Okay, good. I thought I'd start us off - really start us off I mean - with a game that, if you grew up in America you'd probably know as checkers." He gestured to red-and-black boards.

"The game is also known as English-" with a smile for his TA assuming she's here "-draughts. The rules are simple enough that even a young chid can learn to play, but a good player will learn to develop complex strategies and forward thinking similar to those developed when playing chess, though of course mastery of one game doesn't necessarily follow with mastery of the other."

Reid walked over to one of the boards.

"If you'll all gather around here, I'll demonstrate how to set up the board." He quickly laid out the pieces, two rows to each side, every other space. "This is the way your board should look," he explained. "Each of these pieces can be moved forward one space diagonally-" he pushed a piece forward "-like this. You can jump your opponent's pieces to capture them, and if you get one of your pieces to the other side, that piece is 'kinged' - and usually topped with one of your captured pieces. A king can move both backwards and forwards. That's... That's the basics.

"If there are any questions, feel free to ask me, um, and if not, Fiona, if you could distribute this hand-out? Take a few minutes to look it over, and then if everyone could pair up, and have a game..."

((pls to wait for OCD up!))

"Welcome!" Glinda, like last semester, had handwavily sent out a notice that class would be held outside. "Welcome to Self-Expression through Music. I would like to first apologize for last week- I came down with a stomach bug and decided that we could stand to miss one class this semester." She gestured towards a table. "If you were with me for the last workshop, you know that I usually bring baked goods and lemonade to class. You'll find them over there."

Once everyone had settled in with their snack, Glinda began again. "Now, first things first, introductions. I am Glinda Upland- but please, call me Glinda. Your TAs for this semester are Peyton and Robin." She gestured to each, so their classmates knew who she was talking about. "And as soon as we're done with introductions, we'll discuss the reasons why people listen to music. You!" She pointed to the first student on her right. "Start us off, please."

[OCD up, expect a little SP from Glinda]

"Good afternoon, class!" Minsc was, as usual, very excitable when his students came into the the Danger Shop this week, with an added side effect of being glad he had an afternoon workshop, all things consider. The setting looking an awful lot like the clearing they were in last week, but with an assortment of long-range weapons available. "Some of you may remember this class from last time! This is the class where we do buttkicking, but at a distance! Like last time, I noticed that many of you are already very proficient in swords. I am sure many of you also have a proficiency in range weaponry, too, but the range weapons is one of the reason we are called range-ers! It is also because we range over a wide range of land and have a wide range of knowledge and can kick a wide range of butt, and..."

Minsc paused, seemingly lost for a second in his own definition.

"It is a very versatile word," he concluded. On that point, anyway, because he started back up on the lesson.

"So here we have a collection of different range weapons. I know some people use guns and lasers, pew pew, but rangering is an older art, so we will use older weapons! We've got bows, crossbows, some very nice slings, and darts." And, yes, those last ones were big giant lawn darts. Last semester, it had been a mistake. This semester, he decided that they were far too awesome to ignore!

"I would not be surprised if some of you already have a proficiency in one of these long-range weapons already. If so, try one you're not as familiar with. Or, instead of just going for the targets, I can put you in a real battle with a beastie form the programming, and what you can do there is work on being able to fight an enemy who, unlike the targets, won't just stay put, so you'll have to work on potentially switching in and out between weapons for a more efficient kill!"

"Off to the side, there are also practise swords and staffs. If you are done with target practise, it is good to keep up your other work, and you may choose to spar with each other! I actually encourage this, as no ranger should get rusty! Well, then! Have at it! And if there are any questions, please just ask! TO ARMS!"


[[ OCD is coming gets another shot! ]]

Having been handwavily informed by Professor Dukes that he needed to cover class today, Hannibal pulled himself out of bed bright and early and wandered to the gym to get it set up. Once everyone arrived, he started talking.

"Professor Dukes couldn't be with us today so I'm running the class." Oh, the power. He wouldn't be going on a power trip, though. That'd be no way to handle himself. "Since we ran the obstacle course last week, I figured we'd just do stations today. Different stations, different aims, different results. That kind of thing."

And, because Professor Dukes had done it, Hannibal had the dodgeballs out. "And, uh, if you want me to throw these at you, I guess you just have to slack off or want to test my arm out or something like that."

He didn't really want to throw dodgeballs at anyone but he'd do it if needed. "So, get to work. Start sweating! No slacking!"

There, that was kind of authoritative.

Today there was a table covered with a lot of brochures. There were ads for hotels, parks, casinos, roadside attractions, restaurants, even states and cities.

"So." Tim said. "Thanks to portalocity, you can pretty much go anywhere in no time at all. But have you ever heard the phrase, getting there is half the fun? Maybe it'd be more fun to fly. Or drive. Or even take a train. Legally or not. Websites like Googlemaps and Mapquest are pretty good places to see how long it'd take to drive somewhere.

"Today I'd like you to look through the brochures, and bearing in mind two things, pick a place to go, and start planning to do so. The two things are, how much time do you have? Do you have a weekend? A week? Two weeks? The other is, how much money do you have to spend? This week, I'm giving you a weekend, and a budget of say, 150 dollars.

"And due to a very valid point made on the radio last week, give me some ideas on a field trip you'd like to take. Again with a weekend as the schedule. I have some ideas of my own, but let's hear your thoughts."

Claudia skipped into the library in a raspberry beret, bright leopard print leggings under a baby doll dress, and fabulous shoes.

She twirled around the shelves and began to sing:

You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow...

The library was open, and musical!

The large collection of weapons was gone this week. Instead there was a rack of oddly-shaped practice weapons. There were a few variations in size and length and shape, but all of them were too thick and oddly rounded. Not all that blade shaped, really. Max stood in a stance of relaxed attention, his hands grasped loosely behind his back and his eye critical as his students began to arrive.

"This week," he announced loudly, "we will be examining the skills involved in footwork. I talked about this with some of you," he shot Serena a quick glance, "last week, but today it will be our primary focus. Sword work, like most forms of fighting, is heavily dependent upon your ability to move in the direction you need to whenever you want. Of course most effective attacks require you to push most of your weight in one direction or another to either provide power or reach or both."

He looked around to make sure everyone was listening. "For today, however, we're going to focus on simply staying centered and mobile. Which is why we have these." Max's grin as he waved at the odd practice weapons was the sort of darkly amused expression that tended to be found on people who were dearly anticipating getting a good laugh at everyone else's expense. "The reason each of these blades looks odd is that they're designed to shift their balance points unexpectedly. As you move the blade you'll find that it is highly unpredictable and you'll have to both pay close attention and maintain a centered stance in order to keep it under control. Extend yourself too far on a strike and the blade may very well pull you over."

"So everyone grab a blade and find some space. I'm going to go over a few standard movements and you're going to practice them, remembering to focus on the way you move your feet and commit your weight."

Once everyone had a blade Max ran through a half dozen or so very general attacks. The sort that would be at least somewhat useful with any weapon. "Now practice those," he ordered as he began wandering among the students correcting their mistakes.

In front of the class today was not who they were expecting to be there, except for how it was. It's just that 'he' looked significantly different for today. No, there were no crossdimensional slip ups--it's just that when you're a hologram, you can get a bit more creative with how you convey your information.

"Good day, class," 'she' said, glancing around and giving the fish eye to all assembled.

"Today we'll be covering what to do should you meet your parallel universe opposite of a different gender in your travels. You might think you have the obvious answer of course, everyone does, but I'm here to tell you right from the horse's mouth that you certainly don't."

Which, of course, is ( when the music started up. )
[ocd up.][...some adultish words but nothing really NWS, that said, we warn because we love]

The Danger Shop was set up like a regular classroom to start, and Ziva was back up at the front.

"Good afternoon," she said, "and welcome back. I am glad to see all of you again. Last week, many of you indicated that you are very unfamiliar with cars, so before we proceed any further, I thought it would be best to discuss the basics of how these vehicles work. I can almost guarantee that this will be the only note-taking you will have to do here." She brought up a basic car diagram, and went through all the parts at a steady pace, along with the ever important mention of which pedal was which inside the car.

Once that was done, the room changed to an outdoor setting, putting everyone in a field by a oval racetrack and a handful of very plain-looking cars.

"Now, I could spend all day telling you how a car works, but nothing will teach you better than actually driving. I would like you all to break into pairs and take some turns around the track. If you are inexperienced, try to pair up with someone who has driven before, but do not worry about that too much. Because we are in here, you will not get hurt if you do not do well, but if I see anyone driving recklessly on purpose, I will pull you out. Is that clear?" It might have been, amazingly enough for her. "Then get to it."

"Today we will begin the most important part of your costumes!" Edna announced as she wheeled in a hanging rack full of spandex body suits. Oh, you lucky people, you. (Don't ask how that last one snuck in there. It had been a Very Terrible Costume Concept.) "Measurements!"

She ignored any horrified looks or attempts to hide under tables. "I will be measuring you so that the costumes you create for yourselves will fit! While you are waiting, come up with two preliminary concepts for your ensemble--include your logo from last week on one of them--and then ask a fellow student to critique!"

When she opened her mouth next, she wasn't speaking. She was, well, singing. There was also some softshoe-ing. You're never fully dressed without a smile, after all, darlings.

When her musical interlude was over, she made shooing motions, pretending like absolutely nothing had happened. "Go! Scatter! Create!" She pointed at one student at random. "Except you. You get to wear Spandex first, darling."

The Danger Shop had been transformed for this class; it now resembled nothing so much as a New Amsterdam alleyway, a little dirty, largely dark, and somewhat foreboding.

"Welcome to today's class. As your syllabus said, today we are studying the crime scene. While my current position means that I usually come to the scene after the police have already done quite a lot of work, you will not always be so lucky.

"So... your first job is to find the body. Your second is to notice as many pieces of information as possible, and your last is to figure out, from the clues left to you, what your next step should be. I would like you to work in teams; help each other, try and find someone with a different skillset from you, or someone who might pick up what you wouldn't think of."

[ocd up, sorry this is up so late!]

Upon entering the Danger Shop, the class would have found it set up to resemble the outskirts of a Madagascan marketplace. Bond leaned against a wall on the second story of a dilapidated building overlooking a crowd intent on betting on the outcome of some sort of animal fight. In the distance they would have been able to see a construction site.

Once the class had joined him in the building Bond began. "Good afternoon, class. Today we'll be looking at parkour, which is the art of getting from one place to another as quickly, directly, and efficiently as possible, regardless of the obstacles in your path. While this may not immediately sound like a weapon, practical or otherwise, any other skill you may learn in this class will be useless if you cannot get to or away from a given fight in time."

He nodded in the direction of the crowd. "In this exercise, you will take turns playing the role of an MI-6 agent, who along with your partner in the crowd is observing a bomb-maker with the intent to capture," Bond said, indicating a man in the crowd. The burn scars on his face made it clear which of the two he was supposed to be. "However, your partner managed to raise his suspicions and he's about to flee the scene. Given that your partner is currently trying to avoid a cobra bite, it's up to you to give chase and apprehend the bomb-maker."

"Your main tools in this exercise will be your wits and your environment, but you will also be armed with one of these." Bond held up a handgun. "This is a Walther P99. Semi-automatic handgun, nine millimetre calibre, fifteen rounds in the magazine. However, given that your objective is to capture the bomb-maker alive, you are to use it only as last resort, and if you shoot anyone who is not a direct and immediate threat, you will fail the exercise."

"So, who wants to go first?"

[ooc: wait for ocd up.]

[Class Roster|Previous Classes]

Sam had gotten into research mode as he'd headed to the library for his shift. Between looking for more people like himself - those who had been visited by Yellow Eyes, although he still didn't know if there really were any - and now trying to find out anything he could about Castiel, he had plenty to do and thankfully, plenty of time in which to do it.

Survival class was in the Danger Shop gymnasium again, but this time Ronon had his whistle and clipboard. No Barbie, sadly enough.

Once they'd arrived, he got started. "So, we did the introductions last week and if you're still here, you must wanna learn about surviving something. Today we're starting with running. Chances are if you're fast, the bad guys might not catch you. Out-running what's chasing you is step one to survival." They might notice the nicely marked off running lanes around the gymnasium. "I should know, I was what's called a Runner in my galaxy for seven years. The Wraith stuck a chip in my back to track me while they chased me from one planet to the next. Running was the difference between life and death." There as no amusement in his tone. Ronon's gruff voice was even lower and more serious while he described that bit of his past.

"You're not playing the hero in this class. When somebody chases you, you run. You're on your own out there, moving as fast as you can - eight laps around the gym. That's two miles for you kids from Earth. Do it fast and we'll see about getting out early."

If they managed to do it at all. "First dress out, then get started. I'm timing you."

The class was being held in an actual classroom today just as a precautionary measure. After all, if people got into the lesson, he didn't need wanderers by wondering what the hell he was teaching the kids. Hence, the classroom.

( and we have talking )

Gibbs had left word for the entire class to meet him at the Main Campfire for today's class, rain or shine, however Gibbs was no where to be seen.

A few minutes later Gibbs was marching through the campfire shouting at everyone to get their gear.

( Let's get your butts moving... )

( The OOC: )

Rick had sent an email to meet in the computer lab this week, where he sat with his laptop, waiting for the class to arrive.

"Afternoon all," Rick greeted them, closing the lid of the computer as he stood up.

( Character... )

[OOC: OCD is up!]

[Class Roster|Previous Classes]

Having handwavily instructed everyone to meet in the computer lab, Lily waited for everyone to take a seat at a computer before beginning. "Welcome back, everyone. Today I'm going to introduce you to something both horrible and wonderful, both at the same time. Ladies and... Yakko, meet: the credit card."

( cut cuz i can )

Tyler smiled slightly at his class as they assembled. No lab supplies were in evidence, just a TV at the front of the room. "Morning. We're just watching a video here and then we're going outside for the experiment -- the Diet Coke-Mentos eruption."

He cued up a DVD player at the front of class. "This is an episode of Mythbusters --- yes, the show I named the clas for -- showing the science behind what we're going to do. I would have a lecture, but I wouldn't say anything the magic box won't already tell you. These guys are good."

The episode played, explaining that the reaction, in which Mentos dropped into a bottle of Diet Coke produce a fountain as tall as a person, is a product of the caffeine, potassium benzoate, aspartame, and carbon dioxide in the Diet Coke and the gelatin and gum arabic in the Mentos, as well as the rough surface of the candies.

When it was over, Tyler turned off the TV. "And now, you get to do this yourself. Grab a buddy and we're going outside. I have Mentos, Certs, M&Ms, Skittles, Diet Coke, regular Coke, and plain soda water, plus Diet Pepsi, so you can play around and see what makes the best fountain."

The class was meeting in the Journalism classroom this week, as Veronica had instructed last week. Once they all arrived, she looked around the room. "I hope you all took my advice about wearing old clothes." She was wearing a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee and a tank top that might once have been blue but was faded to grey.

"Today, we're going to learn how to develop the photos you all took for this week. Here is a sheet with some techniques. Today we're going simple, but later in the workshop you will be welcome to try some of the advanced techniques."

After going over all the chemicals and the process, Veronica provided them safety equipment and led them to the dark room. "I'll be here if you need help. I can't wait to see what you all came up with for happiness."

Once all the photos had been developed, they left the dark room and she gave them their assignment for the next class. "This week I want you to take pictures that convey sadness."

"Last week, we talked about the dawn of cinema," Mitchell told the class. He was still seated on a couch, but it was rather obviously the Danger Shop - there was a door behind him that couldn't possibly be a door. "At that moment in time, film was a vagrant, travelling from city to city as part of vaudeville shows and fairgrounds. And they weren't much more than twenty seconds in length. That started to change around 1905."

He remembered a few things about that time. "It started in France," he continued, "The Americas hadn't quite shown their skill yet, too unstable until at least 1912, but the French were expanding. Due to new laws, they had more time to have fun, to relax, to go and see a picture or two. Films started to get longer, and companies started to get bigger: Pathe was the first to make, distribute, and show films all at once. Italy started to match this as well, sending films all around the world, going beyond the one-reel films that had been normal up until then. It was progress, and the stir went fast."

He grinned. "I was lying earlier," he said, "The United States did have something to offer. These theatres called Nickelodeons, that would show you a sixty-minute film program for a nickel or a dime. Seems mad now, but it worked like a charm back then. Soon, there were more theatres in the US than... oh, anywhere else on the whole planet." Someone was excited about the subject, yes. Nostalgia, if even by proxy, because he hadn't gotten out of Ireland by then. "The US wouldn't start with multiple reel films until the 1910's, though. Right around the birth of Hollywood. By 1917, they had the rules of American cinema down, the way you know them, these principles of classic Hollywood film."

"Framing, action, everything was being figured out back then. People started to talk about the psychology of characters, why they did what they did, and how to best show it. Might be hard to realise now, but nobody had really heard of a close-up before." He smiled again, with a memory. "They actually thought that the close-up was unnatural and had no sense of art. Can you imagine that?" A pause. "Well, I suppose those of you who aren't of this time can. It was just a big thing at the time, if you managed to get out and catch a film, it was... magic."

It took him a moment to snap out of whatever had made him look that far away. "Today, you'll get to look at an actual film set-up of the time. Mess around a bit, see what looks good and what doesn't. Experiment, like they did back then."

He waved at the Danger Shop, which had been set-up with a classic 180 degree camera set-up. "Go ahead."

[[ wait for the ocd up! ]]

Anakin had spent the morning getting rid of slight dings that the flight simulator had accrued by being (what the hell) alive this weekend.

"Today we're going to continue with land-based transportation," he said quietly, pointing to two motorcycle-esque machines hovering on either side him. "This is a swoop bike," he said, pointing to one, "and the one on the left is a speeder bike, the slightly newer model, which is also equipped with a laser cannon. Don't use the laser cannon, please. Both fly like the motorcycles of your world drive, but can get up to 400 kilometers an hour. That being said, you will be wearing helmets and there are two different scenarios based on your level of skill. One is a city planet with very tall buildings to miss. The second is a forest moon with trees hundreds of meters tall."

He gave the class a tight smile. "Please don't hit a tree or a building and explode. There will be mocking. If you do it intentionally, there will be detention."

He clapped his hands. "Begin."

"Afternoon, class," Daisy greeted them in her usual bright manner. "I'm sure you've all had interesting weekends, and what are the odds that, now that things are back to the grind, you may have skipped breakfast to get just a little extra sleep? Or maybe you just grabbed a Pop Tart or a granola bar on your way out, something quick and on the go because you know that you should have at least something or that you're simply hungry?"

( Cut for a Lot of Talking about Food, In a Lecture Surprisingly Similar, Word for Word, from Last Semesters. Funny how that Goes. )

"Help each other out, have fun, I hope you like them, and I'm here if you need help, too. I've got more ideas, too, for breakfasts, especially quick ones, if you're interested. We don't always have time in the morning, and, believe me, I've seen far too many cops get that awful little belly from thinking donuts and muffins are perfectly good breakfasts. The only reason you don't see it with this police force is because, I swear, all of 'em but me have a super-human metabolism. But I digress. Let's get to cooking."

[[ OCD on the way is now part of a balanced breakfast! ]]

"Painting is the art of using some form of pigment on canvas, paper, vellum, or parchment to create an image that not only reflects real life, but the artist's interpretation of that life; emotion translated into two dimensions and color, or lack of same. The school of Impressionism focuses on a moment in time, the 'impression' of movement in real life-- light on water, clouds across the sun, unusual visual angles, ordinary subject material captured at one, stolen, focused second." Sophie smiled at the class. "It started as a reaction to the static settings of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite painting, an effort to move forward into something freer than the politically mandated and approved painting of the Paris juries."

( The artist, the painting, the crime. )

"Good morning," Brennan greeted the class once everyone seemed to be in a seat. "Today we're talking about the role physical attraction plays in sexual selection. You'll often hear that everyone has his own taste, but, in fact, there are certain signifiers that are universal across most cultures."

( Cut because Brennan is talky meat. )

[OOC: Images of Paul Newman and Heidi Klum may be somewhat NSFW -- his is shirtless, hers is in a Victoria's Secret show. Please see my OOC note on selecting photos, which is still valid even though it's from last term, OMG.]

The students had handwavily been notified to meet in the Danger Shop this week. Upon entering, they would find their teachers standing among some dining tables. "Good morning, class," Steve said. "Today we're going to talk about table etiquette."

"Which is when you use napkins and all that Pretty Woman stuff. Though I doubt any of you are hookers with a heart of gold..." Although the chick who ran the flower shop was.

"Wade!" Steve said, sounding somewhat scandalized. Then he remembered who he was dealing with here and decided moving along would be the better part of valor. "You should always use napkins, of course, but proper dining etiquette is more complicated than that. It involves knowing how to properly set a table, as well as which utensils to use for which foods. It's kind of a pain," he admitted, "but it can help to smooth the way in a social situation."

"Or just confuse the crap outta ya and make you start to wonder if this was just a bourgeois plot to keep the man down," Deadpool added helpfully. "The tablecloth is there for a reason, right? Why waste a perfectly good napkin when you have that? And a shrimp fork? Really? Really?"

"The tablecloth is there for a reason, but to substitute for a napkin is not it," Steve said. "As far as place settings go, please refer to this diagram, which will help you understand what goes where and when to use each utensil. Utensils are arranged basically in the order they'll be used."

Deadpool rolled his eyes. "Blah blah blah boringcakes. How about we actually do something? Can we have 'em set the table and then yank the tablecloth off? It'll teach them poise."

Or how to clean up smashed china. One of those. "Yes, everyone pick a table, then set it for four either formally or informally," Steve said. "Then..." he gestured to his co-teacher to let him finish the assignment.

"Bill Murray that shiznat up!" Deadpool said cheerfully. "Work in groups of... say... two. That's a good, solid number. Not a lonely number at all. That would be one."

"What?" Steve asked him blankly. Then he realized giving Deadpool an opening was a bad idea and said, "It doesn't matter. Everyone pair up and get to work."

The class met in the Danger Shop today, as handwavily ordered.  The room was set to a giant circle, with plenty of overstuffed pillows for laying on in the center.  Along the edges were small round tables, each with two chairs and various items placed upon them. 

Once the bell rang, Ghanima looked up from where she was sprawled on the floor playing with some cards and smiled.  "Destiny," she began with preamble, dropping the cards and pushing to her feet.  "Refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe." 

( The willing, Destiny guides them; the unwilling, Destiny drags them. -- Seneca )

"Today, it's time for you to face your destiny."  Ghanima gestured to the tables ringing the room.  "Pair up, wander around, and pick a method of divination that speaks to you.  Read your own destiny, or that of your partner, and then discuss if you agree or disagree with the results you obtained."

[OOC: OCD UP.  Up way-early, so I don't miss it tomorrow.]

Tim had decided to give up on the fancy futuristic (from his point of view) blackberry thing he'd gotten, and was completely failing to figure out how to use, or remember to bring with him, and just use the old fashioned pocket calendar. Which he promptly forgot to take out of his pocket before washing his clothes.

This is what happens when you get too used to having a Hobgoblin butler around.

"Hey guys, welcome to Summer Vacation for Beginners. And only halfway through the summer. My name's Tim Desmond, for those of you who don't know me. Now I don't know if you're all from places that have summer vacation or not. So just in case, here's the deal: Traditionally, schools in the US run from September to May or June. Historically, as I understand it this was so kids could go help out on the farm. Nowadays it's a handy way of figuring out when you're done with a certain grade.

"It's a time when some kids get sent to summer camp, like here. Or to summer school. Like here. We've got the best of both worlds. But it's also a time when lots of families take vacation trips. Amusement, and National Parks do a lot of business this time of year.

"Today, in keeping with tradition, we'll do introductions. Say your name, where you're from, even if you don't think we've have heard of it, and where you'd like to go on vacation. It can be someplace you've never been, or some place you'd like to go back to."

[Up late due to technical difficulties. Sorry. I wrote this first 'cause it made me feel like I was apologizing as soon as possible.]