fandomhigh | School Assembly, Friday afternoon, The Auditorium

"Welcome, one and all, to the first school assembly of the new semester! In case you haven't met me yet, I am The Tick! Dean of Students here at Fandom High. That means that where student issues are concerned, I am the parking attendant in the self park garage of your education!"

"Today, we have a special in the garage! It's a special that speaks of a different kind of special you might get in a seedier garage. Today's special is called DANK: Drugs Are Not Kool! Spelling is cool, of course, but sometimes you have to make an exception and spell something with a 'k' to work. Anyway, we will have several speakers this afternoon, guiding your car into a parking space of a clean and healthy life! Please welcome our guests!"

[OOC: Each speaker will have their own thread, plus there will be a Q&A thread at the end of the post for them to ping into. Also, since it seems appropriate this time, there will be a thread for after the assembly to speak to the guests a bit more privately. Please wait to ask the speakers questions until the speakers have pinged in.

There are also a couple of general conversation threads for people who don't want to give their undivided attention. :)

Big thanks to all of the speakers! Speaking of which, speakers should be sure to check their comm invites.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"El walked out on stage with his guitar case and set it down. He pulled it out, played a few chords, and faced the class.

"I suppose you're all half asleep by now. Expecting your professor and a bunch of random puntas from off island to bore you to tears with explanations about why drugs are bad from you. Perhaps a few songs will be played about the dangers of drugs."

El played another chord. Then, like lightning, the guitar was returned to the cased and El shut the case with a definite finality. There two loud clicks that rang through the silence of the auditorium.

"But no. I have a different story I want to tell you about." He began walking forward towards the front of the stage, stepping over the guitar case.

"As most of you know, I come from Mexico. And in Mexico, and in Colombia, and in all those other places, that's where the drug cartels are. The people who are responsible for producing and transporting the drugs up here. Crime empires built upon the trafficking of drugs. Whenever you buy drugs, you're supporting one of those empires. Here. In Mexico. In Colombia. Anywhere. These are people who rule over towns like they were their own personal kingdoms. These are people who keep all of Mexico in a sea of gunpowder and blood."

He stepped forward to the very front of the stage.

"These are the people who took my family. My friends. Everyone I ever loved. And even my hand." He ripped of the brace he normally had on his hand to reveal the ugly bullet hole scare through the palm.

"Now remember that every time you buy drugs, you're giving more power to these monsters."

Nadia ended up staring at her boots, which were propped on the seat in front of her, fingering the necklace El had given her.

Yeah. Drug cartels sucked.

Annette thought thought this professor very handsome. It was not hard to listen to him at all. Wow!

She wished he would play his guitar again. She liked that too.

Chad listened to El's speeches carefully, stoicly; he, like Nadia, also kept his fingers passing over a necklace around his neck, smoothing out the coin that hung there. He couldn't help feeling a sharp sense of pride to share a heritage with this man, but it also made him feel incredibly homesick. Sea of gunpowder and blood, yeah, but it was home...

Pippi likewise sat quietly playing with a certain necklace given to her by a certain person who was speaking right now.

Billy squirmed a bit in his seat, having been friends with someone who had supplied many weapons to drug cartels.

School Assembly, Friday afternoon, The Auditorium

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