Week Four

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, Gershwin High School Academy University saw its very first intentional murder! What a milestone! And right after Spongebob's No Murder party, too - that doesn't seem like it bodes very well for anybody's future.

You all wake up this morning with yet another new memory returned to you. You'll also find that the school's external doors have now unlocked. Congratulations! You're free! Unfortunately, you also seem to be entirely in the middle of nowhere. So maybe it's more of a symbolic victory.

Still, you should look around and do some investigation! Maybe you'll find a fun surprise.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regains and your AC for this week! Hester's office hours and the merch booth also remain available! ))

Comments

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob wakes up after the sleepover bright and early, as normal. He almost immediately heads back to the Rodgers Dorm to get his clothes for the day when he sees all the coins next to his bed.

...He's been a little inconsistent on making breakfast for everyone, which he admittedly feels pretty guilty about, but it doesn't take that long to use the concession stand. Right?

Spongebob as usual, likes most of his stuff, he is painfully easy to please, after all. But when the maid dress pops out he seems really annoyed, much more annoyed than usual.]

Ugh, was this stupid thing really in there this whole time? Is the Wizard trying to send a message?

[This is maybe the first thing Spongebob's been really tempted to toss something out

But eventually, a snail pops out. Spongebob is stunned.]

G... Gary?

["Gary" meows, and Spongebob instantly starts crying and hugging the snail.]

Oh Gary I thought I would never see you again! How long have you been hanging out in there? I bet you're hungry after all this time! There's no snail food here so how about some homemade breakfast?

[Gary meows again and climbs on top of his shoulder.]

Alright, one order of pancakes for Gary coming up!

[Spongebob goes to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone and Gary. He looks like this is the happiest he's been since before the first murder, cheerfully babbling to Gary while he flips an absurd amount of pancakes.

After breakfast, he's spending most of his day in the garden, cuddling his pet snail while enjoying the outside air.

For once, he feels content.]

Garden

[alchemistake]

[As much of Spongebob's "home movies" as Varian did manage to watch during his no-murder party, Gary isn't someone he actually got to see. Not in the flesh from what he saw, anyway...but he has heard of Gary. Spongebob told him about his beloved pet snail a while back, and Varian assured him that wherever he was, he was probably okay.

Well, now he can hardly believe his eyes. He's...relieved to know he was right, but he thought Gary was like. Tiny? An actual garden snail, like the ones you'd have in a terrarium?? He didn't find the notion of keeping him fed too odd since everything needs to eat but now he...thinks he might understand that a bit more.

Either way, Varian of course is going to approach once he realizes what he's looking at, getting down on both knees in front of the pair.]

Is...that Gary?!

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob perks up as he notices Varian, and waves at him before practically shoving Gary at him.]

Oh hi Varian! Meet Gary! Gary, this is Varian, that cool inventor kid I told you about.

[Gary meows a hello at Varian.]

[alchemistake]

[......]

Did...did he just...Meow?

[No he. He SAID Meow. Like the word

What]

[employeeoftheyear]

[He laughs.]

Of course! All snails do!

[Gary's eye sockets sort of... nod in agreement.]

[alchemistake]

Where I'm from...snails don't make any sounds at all.

[Varian shakes his head a little, laughing. This is so absurd, but...it's no crazier than anything else he's heard, especially from Spongebob.]

...can I pet him?

[employeeoftheyear]

Of course! He wont bite!

[He holds Gary up to Varian, who looks up at him expectantly.]

[alchemistake]

[Varian hesitates, but only for a moment. He'll reach out and very carefully pet Gary's...shell? He assumes that's the best petting place. Can he really even feel this, though?]

Good, uh...snail.

[employeeoftheyear]

[That seems to have been the right pick, Varian! Gary purrs and nuzzles against Varian.

With his eyestalks. That's probably cute?]

Aww, he likes you!

snail on a skateboard

[feudalladyshandmaid]

What.

[Here Cassandra is, trying to make her way through the day without too much of a fuss. And here's Spongebob at the concession stand with... what appears to be a giant snail on a wheeled plank of wood. She'd watched some of the 'Home movies' Spongebob had aired for the rest of the group at his party, but not enough that she'd ever caught a glimpse of his lovable pet.

So. This is new.]

And... that's a big snail.

[employeeoftheyear]

Not just any big snail: this is Gary! The best snail in the entire ocean!

[He picks up Gary from his skateboard and practically shoves it in Cass's face.]

Wanna say hi to him? He won't bite!

[feudalladyshandmaid]

...You know. I shouldn't be surprised that you really are from under the sea. [This is just indisputable.] I mean, I've met more than a few people who live in the oceans back home.

[employeeoftheyear]

[He laughs joyfully.]

C'mon, Cass, I told you day 1 I'm from the ocean!

Buuut what are the sea people like where you're from? I don't think I met many fish outside the Pacific!

kitchen

[tellthestory]

Oh - Spongebob. You're making breakfast?

[After you were so down yesterday, he just sort of figured you wouldn't? Which is fine! But so's this! The Balladeer gets about two seconds of normalcy as he walks into the kitchen, and then he sees Gary.]

What is that.

Re: kitchen

[employeeoftheyear]

[Gary's currently chilling on Spongebob's head. He meows a "hello" when The Balladeer walks in.]

Oh hi Mr. Balladeer! I'm making pancakes right now!

[tellthestory]

What's on your head?

[He CANNOT believe Spongebob is unaware of that thing, it is ENORMOUS]

[employeeoftheyear]

My... hair?

[Spongebob genuinely does not know what Balladeer is freaking out about right now. It's just a normal fun day!]

[tellthestory]

It's a giant...thing!

[For once, it isn't that the Balladeer doesn't know what a snail is! He's just having trouble parsing the giant colorful thing with really human eyes as a snail.]

[employeeoftheyear]

"Giant thing"?

[He's genuinely confused until Gary finally speaks up with an annoyed "meow". Spongebob perks up and takes him off his head to show Balladeer, laughing.]

This isn't a thing, this is Gary! The best pet a sponge could ask for!

[tellthestory]

That's your pet?

[Well. That makes him relax a little bit - if nothing else, he doesn't want to be rude.]

What is he?

Snail Time

[defyingfrigidity]

[Well that is. Most certainly one of the most bizarre things to come out of that machine. Out of all the live animals she's seen scampering out, that's.... hm.]

Did that... snail just meow?

Re: Snail Time

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob is currently sitting among all his items, cuddling Gary while they share pie together.]

Yeah! All snails do, at least the ones I've met! Isn't it the cutest sound you've ever heard.

[Gary meows again, perhaps in agreement.]

[defyingfrigidity]

[... This is so confusing but you know what? She's just going to roll with it.]

Honestly??? It really is. [It certainly doesn't sound like any cat she's ever seen, but that little mow... ugh! Adorable!] How does one approach a snail? Should I just... hold my hand out to him? Let him smell it?

[Wh.... where does she pet it...?]

[employeeoftheyear]

Just pet him on his shell! He likes that!

[Gary does a sort of nod with his eye stalks. He's really chill he promises!]

[defyingfrigidity]

[That is... so weird. But not creepy-weird. It's more charming-weird, like the trolls up on the mountains back home.]

Okay... how do you like that, little guy?

[She reaches out to stroke his shell, the scratches it, like one would do to a cat arching their back. It doesn't really... feel like she's petting an animal, with the hard carapace instead of fur or scale, but it's an interesting texture nonetheless.]