ArchivedLogs:Summer Class

Summer Class
Dramatis Personae Blink, Marinov
In Absentia	2017-07-30 '
Location <XS> Workshop
A large barn-like building situated at the far end of the gardens from the mansion proper, this makerspace functions as a classroom for many of the more hands-on classes. An expanse of workshop space, it is subdivided into smaller segments for the different types of activities: Woodshop, Welding shop, Machine shop, Electronics, Bike shop, Screen Printing and Photography, Fabric Arts, and the Rapid Prototyping Lab with a trio of 3D printers. The space comes complete with a large host of tools available for use, although many of the more dangerous require prior clearance from administration to use -- students with appropriate clearance to use them can gain access to locked equipment with their student IDs. From sanders to MIG/TIG welders to soldering stations to industrial sewing machines to its own darkroom, though, this space is well equipped for teaching students how to /make/. While campus is relatively quiet during the summer months, with many of the students away at their parents' homes, there is still some evidence of life on campus. The whir of a sewing machine breaks through the silence, noise cancelling headphones on over Marinov's oversized ears, folding them over in an apparently uncomfortable way. They consult with one of the sketches near to their workstation, as they are working on structured empire waisted dress in earth tones. For the time being, the youth wears a pair of pretorn jeans, a checker patterned top with a red tie. The sewing pauses for a moment while Marinov pulls off the headphones and rubs at their ear, grumbling something irritably towards themselves. A spark of purple light in the center of the room expands into a misty swirling purple portal, and Blink hops out through it easily. Her long magenta-and-black hair is neatly braided and looks a bit damp, and she wears a lightweight short-sleeved lilac tunic and a matching skirt, all with deep purple and silver piping. She carries a backpack patterned like the stars over one shoulder, and sets it down at a sewing machine before waving at Marinov. "Didn't expect to find anyone else here on a lovely Sunday afternoon, in summer no less!" she says, peering at their work curiously. "Oh, that's lovely!" At the appearance of a portal, Marinov's ears perk up with curiosity. "Spasibo," says Marinov, nodding acknowledgement to Blink's compliment. "I'm here a lot... I keep having to add more to my wardrobe while there's free time, just a shame that I can't do much with the stuff I've grown out've. Growing's a real pain." They pull the incomplete dress towards themselves to doublecheck all the stitching. "What brings you to the workshop?" "Do you have summer classes, or is it just building your wardrobe back up? I guess it's hard for you to buy stuff off the rack." Blink shuffles closer for a better look at Marinov's work in progress. "Though your stuff is probably better than anything you could get off the rack, anyway. Me, I just like my flowy fantasy clothes." She ducks her head and drags her backpack over, opening it to pull out a length of leaf-green linen cloth. "I'm looking to make a new top with this. The machines here are nicer than mine, and there's tons more thread and trim available." "Yeah, I actually really dig your whole aesthetic!" Marinov indicates towards Blink's current outfit with a clawed finge. "I sometimes like the sorta, like, adventurous outfits. Like, if I'm gonna stand out in a crowd, may as well just like... do something that really stands out! Other days, I just wanna wear a hood to keep people from even looking at me." They shrug and glance back over to their reference material, "I've got summer classes. I figure if I'm gonna stay on campus anyways, may as well do something with the time." "Gracias! My sewing skills are pretty basic compared to yours, but the kind of stuff I like to wear tends to be on the simple side anyway." Blink smiles and starts taking out her other supplies. "You know, that's honestly why I really got into wearing hooded capes originally. I mean, outside of LARPing and cosplay." She reaches up and tucks a stray lock of hair behind her pointy ear. "I don't need as much to keep me from standing out, but...I guess this aesthetic grew on me." She props up a tablet in front of her and calls up an electronically sketched pattern of a cap-sleeve mandarin collar top. "What classes are you taking?" "I never got into, like, LARPing and stuff. I did some cosplay when I was younger, but I always feel like... there's a sorta limited range of things I can cosplay convincingly, you know?" says Marinov, scratching lightly at the back of their neck. They run the machine for a few moments, carefully lining everything up. "I'm taking some science stuff. Like, biology. And physics. Ugh. Physics. It's like math except worse. I can figure out, like, exactly how to jump to get from one place to another, but I couldn't tell you the math of it all." "I don't know, but I think there's a lot more to a good cosplay than how convincing it is." Blink sits down behind the machine next to Marinov and spreads out her cloth, smoothing it over and pulling out a wax pencil mark it up. "Oh, physics! Yes, unfortunately, /knowing/ physics and being able to use it in a practical sense isn't at all the same as being able to perform well in a class. A lot of school is like that, I think. Hope you get through it alright and don't need to take any more of it going forward. Some teachers like to stress how useful a lot of that stuff will be to you in life, but really?" She leans over a little, as if telling a great secret. "All the physics I use in my daily life, I learned from video games."