Flour Babies Project Introduction

[Event !]

((OOC: Doctor Isabela Monroe is IC coordinating this project as the head project leader. As such, Doctor Monroe gets first IC post at this. Afterward, everyone can post their reactions in this thread and split off into their appropriate pairs for threads and hilarity. This project will be ongoing IC for one or two weeks, depending on what Doctor Monroe decides. For thread purposes, post as you wish but be mindful of tagging days and keeping a consistent timeline in case of mishaps. Doctor Monroe and the rest of participating IC staff have final say over IC consequences for eaten and/or destroyed flour babies.

Also, the Hammel Janitor has the ability to do as he will if you spill flour or batter all over his nice clean floors.))


Most of the school offered their sympathies to Dr. Monroe, Thomas Legrand III (the Hammel janitor) and to any of the volunteering faculty for the Flour Babies group project. The likelihood of messes was high, while the probability of completed and well-taken care of babies was far lower.

Doctor Neville hoped to use this as a teaching moment and he had additional prophylactics outside his office for the end of the project. However, he was glad that he only had to lecture on how to avoid pregnancy and not about the results of a child carried to term.

The students were gathered for the assignments of partners and of their five-pound flour sack baby. Everyone was ready for Doctor Monroe to start the official project.

[Dr. Isabela Monroe]

Doctor Isabela Monroe, for all intensive purposes, totally had this. Coordinating this project hadn't been as difficult as she first thought it might have been, and this made the process a lot easier. However, in the same vein, she was well aware that few were going to ever take this seriously. There was little she could do in the way of that, really.

The black and white clad woman laced her fingers together, briefly glancing at the bright yellow nails she wore before she looked across the sea of faces. Not a lot of smiles. Not any, really. So she wore one for herself, because she was excited.

“Good morning students and kind, kind faculty.” She started, nodding her head towards those who had offered to help. They deserved more praise and admiration than she could give. “Truly, this is going to be an enthralling two weeks for everyone.”

Alright, she doubted they would think so. But she still said and sounded like she meant it anyway.

“Now, I know what most of you are thinking; Izzy, what am I supposed to learn from carrying a small sack of flour around for days on end? Well, you wouldn’t really be thinking at all, would you? The benefits are clear.” She exhaled on a short laugh, letting her hands go and clapping them together for emphasis. For the words she chose, it might have been a little confusing how happily she spoke about this; “But for those who want a better explanation; your assignments are random. We want you to branch out and develop the skills to work with other people. We want you to understand the difficulty that comes with having to care for something so fragile when you more than likely... Clearly don’t want to. We want you to learn.” Her elated smile faltered a touch – the corner of her mouth threatening a frown, “Also… Because it’s a bit mandatory for your Physical Education class. But that’s neither here nor there.”

Clearing her throat in the moment, Isabela took the time to notice that a familiar student’s face was in fact in the sea. Kodiak. She allowed the genuine smile to pull at her features before she managed to continue; “Teen pregnancy is not a joke, people. I’m sure you’ll all understand the importance of taking your child everywhere. Just as I’m sure you’ll understand you might get a visit from your friendly neighbourhood social worker at any given point in time.” With a pause, she indicated to herself with a point of her thumb. Other faculty, too, if they felt so inclined to check in on the project’s progression. “I’ve got keys, kids. Janitor keys. And I’m not afraid to use them. So care for your babies like they’re your babies, because you love your babies, Hammel.” She took the spare second she had to glance around the room, her eyes settling on various faculty members. Really, this was going well. Wasn't it? It was.

God, she hoped it was.

“Let’s also consider the importance of journalling your experience. I’d love it if these books were filled out daily with a little drabble of your overall experience. Remember, even your impending hate mail counts as an honest, genuinely markable drabble!” The Physical Education teacher offered an amused smirk with her words, because really, someone was going to write something bad about her for pushing the idea like she had. “Now, let’s all try to remember the important things, here. This is not punishment. It’s… A social experiment to learn from.”

Just as she made a move to step away, indicating that her extravagant speech was done, Izzy paused in her step. And she backtracked. “Oh, and it counts. For a crazy percentage of your grade in my class. So, if you have any real intention of passing and graduating, I’d carefully consider the life of your new found bundle of joy.” It was probably jarring to listen to. To take in. The fact that she wore that smile so well likely didn't help matters.

“Standby for your partner, your journals, and your baby.” She finished with a concise nod as the information was dolled out.

Yes, she most definitely had this.

[Deleted]

As much as Kodi absolutely hated this mandatory project... He had enough self-control to wait until he was away from adult eyes to rip apart his flour 'baby'.

Maybe it had something to do with the look he'd caught from the P.E. teacher, that just screamed 'I'm watching you'. That smile wasn't fooling him. He knew better. Isabella Monroe was no pushover, and Kodi knew he'd definitely be getting some sort of punishment for the idea he had in mind. He didn't really care about passing at this point - when did he care about passing anything? - so he figured it would be worth it for the entertainment.

Aw, fuck.... Paired with a girl, really? Were these guys idiots? Kodi didn't think he needed to answer that question. Still, when he found his partner, he shot her a sickeningly sweet, innocent smile. "Looks like we're partners," he drawled to the slutty-looking bitch. What was her name? Rya? Or something? Well, she would be getting a face full of white powder as soon as they got back to the dorms. Kodi took their little bundle of joy in his arms, resisting the urge to tear his teeth into it and instead stepping out of the way for the rest of the students to get their own.

He saw Gryphon, with someone he didn't know... And a small pang of angry jealousy bubbled in him. "Come on, let's get outta here," he huffed, turning on his heel before he could get distracted with destroying everyone's 'children' already. No, he was going to do that slowly... Meticulously... Unpredictably, when the couple least expected it.

This might be fun after all.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

The main reason why Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi had chosen to be part of this assignment in the first place was because of the vague entertainment value. No one was going to have a sick baby (since they were only made of flour bags, after all), and it was unlikely that anyone would come to her for advice on such things when so many students seemed to have a problem going to the doctor for themselves. However, volunteering for the project allowed her to watch all these students fumble their way through the basics of child rearing without actually endangering themselves or anyone else. That, and it meant that anyone who actually wanted a good grade could see that she was part of the volunteer staff and could come to her for advice or information.

She'd be keeping notes on who did so, by the by - to help Dr. Monroe with grading at the end of the project to judge the seriousness of the 'parents', mostly, but also for her own amusement.

The albino woman watched the crowd with the other volunteer faculty, scanning faces for those she knew. Most were students that were registered as a name in a medical file; some were patients, former and current. And others, like Oriel Vanguard, were people that she was certain would have trouble with this project long before the two weeks were up, if their own record of slips, spills, and fights were anything to go by.

Still, along with all the other volunteers, for now she'd just smile and make sure every pair got their 'baby' safe and sound, as well as remind them that they could always come to the Infirmary if they had any questions. Otherwise, it was simply a matter of letting the games begin.



((OOC - Dr. Nik is available for side-threads from those who want to ask questions about the project or how to properly care for an infant. She is a mother and a doctor both, so feel free to come up with all sorts of questions for her. Just start a thread in the Infirmary if you want it, and she will respond!))

[Deleted]

Oriel didn't understand the point of this project. Well, he understood the point, or at least what it was supposed to be, which was to learn how to take care of a baby and learn how to be responsible for something that was completely and utterly dependent on you….like how Phoenix was with Oriel sometimes. Really, Oriel wondered and worried how Phoenix was ever going to get along without Oriel, especially after the older boy graduated.

But the way that he saw this project, especially the way it was described, and the reasons for why students should try their best to succeed….all that did was reinforce his idea that all they were teaching was a mentality that the only reason why you should even care about a kid, whether it was wanted in the world or not, is because of some sort of selfish gain or reward. They were teaching the students how to pretend to care - just like his fosters, just like the social workers, just like his old teachers - just so they can get a passing grade, or in those other people's cases, a paycheck.

Nobody was going to care about a flour bag like it was a kid. Because it was a fucking bag of flour! If it were a real kid, and there was no expectation of a reward at the end, then maybe it'd be a more effective project.

Plus….that was a lot of flour that he could be better using to make fried-chicken breading and sugar cookies.

Oriel held his "baby" in one arm, with it's "head"(or at least the this-end-up end) rested against his shoulder as he searched around for his assigned partner, his face all scowls with angry eyebrows while stuck in this crowded room. "Genesis" was her name. Some chick he'd never met before. Oriel really wished he'd been paired with someone else. Someone he knew.

[Deleted]

Oooh... Why couldn't they choose who their partner would be for this project? Phoenix hated team projects as it was, and being unable to decide who he raised this 'baby' with made it even worse. He might have been sort of excited otherwise - pretending to take care of a kid, it was kinda cool, especially since Phoenix wanted to have kids himself one day.

Unfortunately, the person he wanted to raise a kid with was paired with some girl that Phen was unfamiliar with; and Phoenix himself was paired with another girl he didn't know. Adaryn, or something? He really hoped she was nice. The weak pixie boy struggled to even lug around the five-pound bag for an extended period of time trying to find his new partner; when he didn't immediately find her, he darted to Oriel's side, possessively nuzzling against the boy's free shoulder.

"I wanna do this with you," he mumbled, pouting up at his younger boyfriend. "I don't even know the people we're supposed t'do this with. Do you know who, uh... Adaryn is?" Maybe she would find him... Because Phoenix was awful at approaching people himself.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy did not love a good mandatory project. It was a bit annoying, really. And truthfully, since she knew she already wasn't graduating this year, she had little to no intention of trying to pass the subject. If she had to do it next year, she would. Like other classes. Still, the Australian waited with her arms folded and her feet up on the desk. Waiting for the name of her partner.

Who was a girl. Great. Like Hammel could be any more gay.

Carleigh was her name. Lucy was terrible with names - face were more her thing. But she found the blonde bloody beacon of sunshine well enough when openly pointed in the right direction.

Grinning with amusement, she bounced her new found five pound baby in one arm and raised her eyebrows at the girl. A stranger. Not so strange any more.

"Pancakes at yours, wifey-woo?"

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver never would have thought that being in a physical education class would have meant that he would be caring for a 5 lb sack of flour. It seemed kind of ridiculous, to the introverted boy... especially since it was by random assignment. He barely knew anyone at Hammel, preferring to stay hidden away in libraries and quiet corners, reading books and writing.

Of course, he had the intention to pass the mandatory class. There was no other option, according to Oliver. So, he hoped he would get someone serious about the project. Someone who didn't mind carrying around a flour sack like a baby.

Penelope Blaise. The name didn't seem familiar. Oliver collected the flour baby, mumbling to himself about how awkward it was to carry it around. Not to mention, while holding the 'baby,' he wouldn't be able to phase through walls. After being pointed to a serious looking girl, Oliver approached with a shy smile. "Uhmm, hey Penelope." he began shyly. "Guess we're partners for this."

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh had, surprisingly, been sort of excited for the project. She had seen these kinds of projects on TV before and always seemed to be entertaining... provided that the flour baby made it past Day 1. Carleigh knew that she had the potential to be a good flour baby mama. Yeah, she was determined to have fun! She waited in the classroom, nervously looking across the room to see who her potential partners could be.

So, the blonde had been surprised, pleasantly, to find a somewhat unfamiliar name. Lucy. Carleigh had heard about the older girl before, but never had a conversation or meeting or anything of the sorts previously. She recognized the tattooed girl, who seemed to be making her way over to where she was situated.

Carleigh opened her mouth to greet Lucy, then closed it, tilting her head in confusion at the introduction. Wifey-woo? She was thrown off a little, but managed to pull herself together a few seconds later. "... no?" Carleigh said hesitantly. "I'd like to pass this project... wifey." Eh, she could roll with the nicknames. Carleigh wanted to have fun with the project, afterall.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Carleigh's confusion wasn't lost on Lucy. But it wasn't the thing that made her laugh - it was the way this girl reciprocated the nickname the Australian had given her. So she didn't mind playing along? That was perfect.

"Ah, who the fuck needs it?" She asked, though the way her tone shifted at the end made such a question rhetorical. No one needed it, and Lucy knew that already.

As she glanced away, she caught sight of her British counterpart in the room. And the fact that some guy was approaching her. Or had approached her. Instantly, her grin broadened into a smug smirk. The OCD Queen was going to hate that, and Lucy was going to love it. As she stared, the tattoos on her left arm - the lion, the Siberian tiger and the warrior girl - all turned their ink eyes towards Carleigh. Studying her. Wondering who she was. But such a shift was so minimal she mightn't have even seen it.

The tendrils of the lion's mane curled and twisted as if brushed by wind. More often than not, he was in constant motion.

"Walk with me, bae," Lucy said, swinging her free arm around the blonde's shoulders as she moved towards the exit, "We've got a bub to sacrifice."

[Salem Hirch]

"What am I doing this for again?" Salem whispered to himself as he glanced down at the information that was handed to him. Growing up on a farm meant taking care of babies, sure they were animals, but they were still babies that needed help. Right? His eyes scanned the room for a moment. Honestly, he hadn't paid much attention when he first walked in, but he noticed some familiar faces and that made him happy. "Maybe I got paired with one of them?" He thought to himself as his finger ran down the page of couples, looking for his name.

"Eloise Eaton? Who the heck is that?" Wrinkling his nose in thought, he sighed some. Salem didn't mind that he had gotten a girl, he just wished it had been someone he knew. The boy felt like sinking under his seat for a moment, but he shrugged it off. Once again his eyes darted around the room to see if he could figure out which one this Eloise girl was. A little crease appeared on his forehead and he frowned. This was gonna be awkward regardless, but he didn't want her to see him ask someone who she was. Sadly, he had no choice.

Biting his lip, he scanned the room quickly for his options. There was Kailin, but she looked like she was having trouble as well. Salem got half way to his friend when he stopped. Rolling his eyes at himself for a moment, as he hated himself for what he was about to do. With a sigh and deep breath he called out, "Eloise?" It wasn't loud like he was screaming, but loud enough to be heard over the others talking. The blonde boy's cheeks turned pink the moment he did it.

[Genesis Kyland]

This project... was definitely going to be an odd one. Genesis fidgeted with the pen in her pocket, trying to properly get her bearings through all the students' noise. Way too many sounds from way too many different directions for her to get a proper mental picture of the place. This was one of the few situations she felt completely out of her element in: a room full of people who were talking and moving around.

It didn't help that she'd never even met her partner for the project, so there was no way she could pick him out of a crowd. She felt fairly certain she'd heard his name around though, as one of the more notorious students, but gossip wasn't something she let herself rely whole-heartedly on. So long as he didn't completely mess things up, things would be great.

Shifting a step or two to the side to avoid some students, Genesis made her way toward the stack of flour sacks. Hopefully her partner would be somewhere around there... Just to be safe, she called, "Oriel? Oriel Vanguard?"

They'd find each other sooner or later, she supposed. She was looking forward to meeting someone new, notorious or not. Anyway, the ones who didn't have the best reputations were usually the more fun to be around. Of course, not so much when it concerned a graded project, but... she'd make sure things worked out, whatever the case.

[Madison Davis]

Madison was super excited for this project to began probably unlike the rest of the students in the room. When she was young she would love to play pretend with her dolls like she was a mom. Though she stopped playing with them a few years ago she still felt the same then about playing pretend as she did now sitting in the room. She guessed somethings just never changed. When it was announce they could start Madison was one of the first of the students to get out her chair. She grabbed her new "bundle of joy" as the teacher had put it and after being told who and where her partner was walked up to him. She didn't know him but she was always up to making a new friend. She just hoped he was nice and that he would do his fair share of the work.

"Hello Orion " she said cheerfully. "My name is Madison and i'm the mother of your child for the next week or so. So meet your new baby boy or girl" she said holding out the flour giggling. " Don't worry I'm good with kids. I think we should start with naming the baby and not to mention decide it's gender".

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon... didn't know what to think of this project. It wasn't... a bad idea, per say, just... he didn't expect many to take it seriously. But he wanted to, kinda. Not for the sake of the purpose of the project - he already knew that you had to treat your kid right and everything from... personal experience, shall we say? The only real reason he wanted to do half decently was so that he wouldn't fail. He did intend on leaving Hammel before this year ended, no matter how much he liked it there.

Gryph recognized a fair few faces in that room, like Phennie, Oriel... was that Maddie? And, obviously, Kodi. One person he didn't know was Danielle Cooper, his partner... he collected the... heh, 'baby' and his eyes fell on who he guessed was his partner. Who also happened to be a lot shorter than the just about 6"1' dancer.

"Hi," he greeted semi-awkwardly, adjusting the sack on his arm, "You Danielle?" He checked, flashing her a friendly smile. He noticed Kodi out of the corner of his eye with some girl he had no knowledge of - as long as he was alright.

[Nora Graves]

What did this have to do with physical education? Weren't they supposed to run a mile? Or throw around a football or something? Gym was an excuse for teenagers to beat on each other and brag when they did better and Nora would have much more preferred to do something like that. She was good at sports even if nobody would have guessed it. Yet here she was, standing with her arms crossed, wishing she could put on the headphones that were around her neck and blast music instead of listening to this shit. Taking care of a bag of flour.

"Flour is for cooking," she muttered, loud enough for anybody around her to hear. She didn't understand the concept. It was an object. "I didn't even know people still did this."