[[OOC: If the involved players would like her DR post to be canon, then this journal post can come after it. I'd be happy to finish those threads there.]]

Hello everyone. For those of you who may not know me, my name is Chiyo and I'm a Vaporeon. I first arrived at Smash Academy two years back and spent, according to the time here, a year away on an unexpected break. If by chance you may be curious as to where I've been, I was away traveling through a few worlds before I was able to find a portal to return here. Speaking of which, portals can be rather complicated to understand and use, so please be careful when you see or plan to use one, okay?

That aside, I'll be in college this year! I'm greatly looking forward to studying, spending time in the library and greenhouse, swimming, and hanging out with friends again. Although I'm saddened to have discovered that several friends I knew have left, I still look forward to making new friends and hope we'll have a pleasant year together.

In the meantime, I'll be taking a walk around the school and will be looking to reunite with some friends. If you'd like to meet or text me, please feel free to do so. I'll have my phone with me and will answer any texts as soon as I'm able.

Again, it's nice to be back. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble when I disappeared. If I did, I'd like to make it up to you. Other than that, hope you have a great day!



( Private Text to Mondo )


[[OOC: Feel free to make action threads if you'd like to interact with Chiyo on campus.]]

[Hey it's that guy who can get all gross and sweaty just by being passionate or nervous about something. He must be passionately nervous already, just look at him. Wait, no, this is more of a clammy gross sweat going on...

Did he go to the dentist or something? It both looks and sounds like he's trying to speak through a mouth full of anesthetic.]

It appears to be flu season again, so here is your annual reminder of the precautions to take to ensure you do not get sick! Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and keep them away from your face! Use sanitizer whenever possible! Eat healthily, get enough sleep, don't...

[Ugh, hold on. He makes a bit of a face and takes a deep breath. It is super difficult to focus on making a PSA right now.]

Ah... don't... spread germs, even if you feel fine. [Nailed it.]

A...Actually, the symptoms of a flu include nau-- [URGH] --nausea, coughing, a sore throat, headaches, fever, and chills, but... I haven't heard anybody coughing at all!

[Even right now he's feeling more like his body isn't happy with something he ate, but he doesn't want to really broadcast that. Even if it's plenty obvious just looking at him. Why can't he feel his lips, though.]

It's still important to be vigilant against influenza! However... It occurs to me that what is going around now may only be the result of a mistake in the cafeteria, so... So it is also important to make sure that when you are preparing food, all produce is fresh and washed and all meat is cooked thoroughly! For those of you who include dairy in your diet, check those expiration dates!

[He cannot take this gastro-intestinal distress any longer.]

--Thankyouforlistening!

[CLICK. He's going to need a few minutes before he can respond to anyone.]

Greetings, residents of the academy. I've heard that many of you are plagued with a sickness. [A definitely inappropriate-for-the-situation giggle.] How unfortunate for you!

[That’s all the pity you’ll get.. if you can even call it that.]

Anyone finding themselves with this illness hopefully isn't one of my students. I have to say I’m rather unforgiving of absences... excused or not.

Oh, and in case you haven’t figured it out [Yes, that’s a taunt to you ‘slower to come to realization than normal’ individuals] I’m one of the new teachers. Hiii!!!!

Now tell me: who are you and what do you do here? [Yes, she wants to meet as many of you as she can. Not necessarily because she’s friendly, but more so to keep a good tab on who’s what and so on.]

Soooo. Anyone else think it's kind of odd that people have just been going right back to school and not really worrying about the huge island floating in the sky full of killer monsters ready to descend and slaughter us all on a moment's notice???

Because I'm having kind of a hard time focusing on classes when I keep looking out the window to make sure there's nothing coming down from it.

[Indicatively, Caim flashed a foil from the fencing room.]

I believe Mac had a proper idea. With explosives and shadows out of the way, and a floating island taken to the skies, and plenty of unanswered questions, the new school year has approached us.

I would appreciate it if my fencing students were prepared ahead of time. If you do not already have a foil, then approach me and get one. Unlike the previous years, there will be no introductory first day. I intend to be less lenient and more demanding of our curriculum.

I did say it before, however, if you have plans of not arriving on time, do not come at all. I will not tolerate tardiness or any waste of the instructing time.

[Yeah. It's so wonderful to be back. Could he possibly have grown less bitter in his time away?]

[An excited Mac goes up on the screen, but really, he's chipper a lot so how does this surprise anyone?]

Alright guys, now that the new school year's started, that means we can really get to work in the boxin' club!

I know this past summer's been rough...real rough, but it looks like things' kinda evened out so while we get back into the old grind, it's time I opened up the club for new membership!

New year means some new faces, and I'm sure ya'll got a lotta homework. Heck, I do. But you need the stress relief and get that heart pumpin'!

I've been tryin' to rack in some stuff we could do later in the year, so it oughta been fun.

I'm going to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. If you're armed or can otherwise defend yourself, you can come. Maybe. Let me know.

[The action part of this post is the part where you go visit Falcon in the autoshop or go on a bunkerventure with Falcon and absolutely nothing is different about Falcon at all.]

[The video feed turns on. A somewhat familiar face came onscreen, though most would only recognize him as 'that broken robot that Knuckles was keeping on his couch.' Looks like he's fully functional again, and possessing the same emotive range as he did while offline.]

I'm Zero. Starting now, I'll be on security detail.

[There was a pause. It seemed like he was more or less finished with introductions, but there was something else on his mind kept him from turning off the camera. After a beat, he continued.]

The database tells me that Knuckles is no longer here.

...

There's someone else... There was a blue reploid that called himself X. I need to know what happened to him.

...Thanks.

[End transmission.]

[Hey! It's this guy again! Last time he was on the network, he encouraged acts of arson. So, you know this is probably going to be just as great.]

Hagakure... and I guess any other kids who're at a loss for somethin' constructive to do.

[OK. Good start. Bored kids. Summer vacation. Wait... constructive?]

Got permission and materials to set up that chicken coop you wanted to see about buildin', Hagakure. Got a few sets of plans to pick from, so come and see me whenever you got the time. If you're still interested.

[Aw.]

....also, just a quick question. How routine is it that school functions get crashed by giant robot monkeys? Where I'm from you just used to worry about drunk frat boys swingin' on by.

{{OOC: So if you're interested in making a Chicken Coop come and see Joel. In the woodshop room. Wear denim overalls. Required equipment for this exercise. ]]

[What audio feed doesn't show is his unamused expression, and one that's probably been seen many times before. (So it means no one would be missing anything.) He hasn't forgotten the past or how he's spoken to the network previously. At the same time, the developments in his life aren't ones he wants to fully share. There are some things he wants to keep to himself. At least for the time being.

And even when he's ready to start sharing that kind of information, he wants it to only be for certain people. So he settles for speaking only. What a surprise it will be for his students. Provided they even knew him before.]

I will be occupying the fencing class as its instructor once your summer comes to its end. Students who choose to enroll are expected to show up punctually. If you choose to be tardy, I choose to dismiss you by force.

[Yet it's summer now, which means mostly classes are likely a moot point.]

In spite of your momentary reprieve from your tutelage, the fencing floor will remain open for training. You will also find my personal quarters for tutoring in TD-18. Prior notice would be appreciated, rather than your visit going unannounced.

ク斗斗斗斗いいいいいいiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (◑‿◐)

[Now it's a video.

A video of a very excited-looking little girl with ridiculously long, purple hair and a pair of glasses that are just a little too big for her. There's a yellow Pikmin tucked into her breast pocket. But most notable of all- or at least she thinks so anyway- is the bright pink flower in her hair.]

My sister Vianca is the best sister ever!!

[Ai grabs the computer and leans in closely, showing her flower to the camera.]

Isn't it beautiful!?

[Wow gosh she is excited. She leans back in her seat and gives the camera a double thumbs up.]

A casual Monday outing turned tragic when two men were brutally gunned down in front of Malo's Gun and Ammunition mart. The victims; Kaplan Stridehr and Marple Dethrris were found dead with a single Aperture-Brand Resolution Pellet to the head. A third victim, Hendorff Ditherrs, was found at the scene asphyxiated to death. All three of the victims regularly donated community service hours to the FLUDD orphanage and were cherished by their grieving families.

The murder suspects, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Vivan Johnson, and Rick Johnson, all attend Smash Academy and have been interrogated at least once by the FDCPD. Rick has been hospitalized for the time being with life-threatening injuries, though his condition is stable. He will be questioned when he regains consciousness. It's unclear if his injuries were inflicted in self-defense, or by the other two Smash Academy students in the middle of the attack.

The Smash Academy students claim they were the ones who acted in self defense, but FDCPD has not reached a clear verdict yet to a very messy and terrible situation.

"It's not completely clear this was in self defense." says the police chief. "If you're not looking to kill, you don't put a bullet in someone's head."

Several eye witnesses to the attack also claim the smaller student, Vivian, was the one who open fired and murdered the victims, unprovoked. All three are on juvenile preemptive probation until further investigations are finished. It should be worth noting, again, these were non-human students of Smash Academy, a fighting school that accepts many different kinds of unnatural, humanoid creatures. They could still be considered dangerous despite the probation. Aperture Science is also being questioned for product deficiency, but has not returned any of our calls.

[Lakitu, an unnatural, humanoid turtle man, shuffles the papers on his desk and prepares for the next, possibly vaguely related news story.]

An abandoned church on the east side of the city was mysteriously engulfed in flames last night. Fire accelerants were noted in the area, suggesting that this was no accident. It's uncertain if this incident is related to the gun attack, but non-human terrorists are suspected given the target. If you have any important clues or tips to report, please call the FDCPD immediately.

It's truly terrible this historic building has been reduced to tinder and ashes. Residents are outraged and are calling for Martial law. Mayor Tabuu is taking this into consideration with rising rates of violence and crime, but states he is not likely to come to a decision or see any action result for a least a month, especially given the complicated nature of FDC. Martial law would necessitate the need for an outsourced, contracted military, and the Mayor wants to ensure he has the best for the job.

---

[video]

[Seth appears on video, close up and fiddling with the camera before settling in his seat, a grim expression on his face.]

In case you weren't aware about a certain fiasco that happened between Mary and Vianca a while ago, a new development has recently come to my attention, and I for one am ashamed. Shame on you!

Honestly, she's just a child and didn't know any better. That's no reason for anyone to go antagonize and bully her! I want to think better of our student body.

You're all so quick to turn a blind eye when that murderous swordsman returned to campus. You hardly bat an eyelash at knowing there's at least three new and different murder suspects residing right here! Have any of you even seen the news lately? They're right here, living amongst you all--murderers as your very neighbors. But the moment a naive little girl does something she didn't even know was wrong you ostracize her unfairly. I don't want to name names but you know who you are.

Everyone's double standards here are truly unsettling. You should all think on your sins.

[Ahem. He clears his throat and adjusts his collar, as if to clear out all that ~undignified emotional outpouring~]

Anyway, I apologize if any of that came across as harsh or blunt, and Mary's poor name shouldn't be dragged through the mud any longer. Mary has all my condolences, I wish her the best and above all that this doesn't happen again. That was a while ago anyway--old news. She should know better by now.

I'll see to it personally.

[A silver-haired boy sits in front of the webcam, his face illuminated by flood of light from the screen of his new laptop. He waves his hand slowly in a circle before looking around. Then, with that smiling face of his, looks directly at the webcam. Then back down to the screen.]

Did I get it? Hey, I think I got it to work. Hi! [He waves at the screen.] My name's Henry. Nice to meetcha~ I come from Plegia in Ylisse, which is waaay far away. "Over the rainbow" kind of far away, since I'm not even sure how I got here and I can't seem to get back. That's not so bad. Back home, things were getting pretty boring, now that the war's over with...

I guess I should talk about myself. I'm going to be a student here, so it's only right that we get to know each other. Hmm, where to start...? Oh, I've got it! I'm a sorcerer~ I practice dark magic, but I specialize in curses. Does anybody know what I mean by that? If you don't, I'm more than happy to give a demo sometime! We can make it a fun school activity, ahahaha! Oh, but my favorite kinds are death curses. If anybody needs me to deliver one curse of death, I'm always available, and for no charge! ...But I miiiiight need a sacrifice. An arm or something will do, hee hee!

Ahh, I'm getting pretty bored with this. [He laughs lightly, a hand coming up to cover his smile.] Do all of you talk to a light-up screen when you want to get in touch with each other? That sounds funny~! And anyway, why aren't the letters down here in alphabetical order? That's a mystery to me. Soooo, I'm done now. Then how do you...? [He leans forward, looking all over the computer and staring intently at the screen.] Turn it off...?

Hold on a sec. I'm gonna go get Naoya~! He knows bunches about computers. Hee hee, he even helped me get this thing started! But I forgot the rest of the instructions, so I'll go find him. Byyyyeeee~

[Basically, that is where this video ends. Henry just gets up and leaves his computer on the floor, unattended and with the feed rolling. His footsteps fade away as he runs off to find the IT tech.

...But if you're really willing to watch for that long, he does return, stares at the screen, and shuts it off with a smile.]

( [Circumstances.] )

[Hey look it's the tiny librarian that has made herself incredibly scarce recently. She doesn't look happy, but when has she ever looked happy? More so, she seemed a bit… sad. Those that knew her knew she was very quiet, but she was speaking up now.]

Hello. I will be brief, as I will not say anything good.

Some of you may know Mary. Some may not. She hurt my sister. She ripped off her petals. She assaulted me. She took some of mine. I do not know if you know what that means. I do not know if you know what it means to destroy a petal. It is not good. It hurts. Mary told me to be quiet, but I will not.

I know some of you have flowers of your own. Please take care of them. Please be wary.

Thank you.

[ here, have a video post! For once, Manah's office isn't decorated for the holiday. Instead behind her it's just a plain old bulletin board with nothing truly of interest posted on it.

as a note: things in monospace font are her babbling the crazy stuff she's not aware of. Be warned, there are layers of crazy she drifts through. ]

I'm glad to see Valentine's Day is over. A holiday that has - the Watchers - flying babies as their symbol puts me on edge. Not to mention it's a holiday with excessive amounts of love and affection.
- No one ever loved me. Only the Watchers -
[ she looks in another direction, her expression a bit worried ]
--- but I'm a good girl. Why won't you love me? ---
[ a pause as she seems to stare at something behind the monitor before snapping back to reality. ]
Whatever the case, I'm glad it's over. It's a pity that the theme of the holiday didn't quite flow into the city. It's still a dangerous place. If you must go to the city, I would advise you take with you someone skilled at fighting and protection. If you don't know someone, I would be happy to go with you. I'm quite skilled at staff fighting and magics.

On another note, what holiday comes next? This place seems to celebrate one at least once a month.