Intro to Fandom, Monday 9/26, First Period

[stykera]

This week, the desk at the front of the classroom was absolutely littered with an assortment of cupcakes, cookies, and various modded baked goods, as well as coffee and cocoa, because it was the Monday after Parents Weekend, y'all, your teachers figured you might appreciate a little therapeutic indulgences. Not the same indulgences they’d utilized themselves over the weekend though. They were responsible adults!

Especially before they went into the topic for today's lesson.

"So, congraaaats," Summer started, "on making it through the weekend she assumed. Parents can definitely be a very special kind of stressful or annoying situation, but let me ask you this: have you ever given thought to being a parent yourself?"

Stark was just going to look at an interesting spot on the far wall for a moment before speaking. “If you haven’t thought about it, you may want to. You may have to, eventually. Even if just for a weekend.” That wasn’t ominous, right?

But at least you wouldn't be held in ominous suspense for too long, and Summer grinned faintly. "Today," she said, finally wrapping up the preamble and getting to the real meat of the topic at hand, "we're going to talk about alternate universe kid weekend. With probably a side order of weetiny weekend, because it's somewhat tangentially in a broader theme about kids related."

“Sometimes there are children everywhere,” Stark said, nodding. “They just happen.” He paused. “Not the usual way. They’re just here one morning and they stay and then they leave a few days later. Unless they’re not meant to be children usually and then they just turn back to their usual selves. I’ve had surprise children appear. I’ve never been a child as a surprise.”

"And I've had both happen," Summer said with a nod. "Honestly, the one where you turn back into a child is the less complicated of the two, if you ask me, because that's just you, but a different version, a younger self. More than likely, you've been there, done that before, although it can be a little awkward, depending on what you were like as a child. On the other hand, the other one….that's way different. That's a whole 'nother person just showing up, claiming you're their parent, often with the other parent being someone incomprehensible or unlikely. At least, that's how it is for me. I've had, like, a half-dozen of these random children in my time here, and only one has made any sense whatsoever."

“I’ve had three,” Stark said. “Only three for all the time I’ve been here. All impossible. For various reasons. I like when they're here but not everyone does. So, now you've been warned that these things might happen. Might happen to you but they will almost certainly happen to someone you know here. So we thought you ought to be prepared. Prepared for surprise children but not for being children because you won't remember then that you ought to be older than you are. Or that you're younger than you ought to be? I'm not sure which way makes more sense but they both mean the same thing."

"None of it makes sense," Summer concluded. "But that's just Fandom for you. And that's why we're here."

And didn't that just make you feel so much better, kids?

Diplomacy, Monday, September 26, 2022

[sith_happened]

"Hopefully your weekends were not entirely stressful," Anakin said. "I had a very nice visit with my eldest son, so that can serve as proof that not all family relationships are terrible forever. Today we are going to learn the art of diplomatically setting boundaries."

Since this was Anakin, this should go well.

"The first rule is to not stab people."

Anakin.

He smiled. "I'm kidding. Sort of. Remember that 'no' is a complete sentence, but sometimes people follow up your no with giant guilt trips to escape personal culpability for making you uncomfortable. That's what we'll work on dealing with."

That sounded not fun at all! Enjoy, kids!

Fight Stuff- Monday- 3rd period

[solo_sword]

Class today met in the gym. Yeah hey, remember the gym?

"Today we're going to do something a little different," Jaina told the class. "I want you to practice against the punching bags and dummies today, because next week I'm going to have you try some hand to hand sparring. So today will be practice, and I'll be here to show you what to do and help you not break a thumb trying to punch."

Non-Deadly Heroics, Monday, Period Two

[good_for_six]

Aphra and Isabela had told the class to meet them outside the Perk for today's class, and both of them looked worse for wear but also extremely pleased with themselves.

"Now, kids, if for some bizarre reason you didn't see the appeal of becoming a pirate and are still intent on the whole hero business," Isabela started. "One very important thing about staying an alive hero is that living heroes get to enjoy things like this."

Aphra pushed the door open and waved the class into the Perk, before she and Isabela followed them in. Once they entered, the Perk fell silent for a moment before one of the baristas started slowly clapping, they were soon followed by the rest of the staff and before you knew it the patrons were also on their feet applauding them. The barista who started this all came over to shake their hands, and while their voice couldn't really be heard over the noise, there was something about free drinks for life?

Eventually, Aphra waved the cheering crowd into silence. Or at least a lower volume. "Look, no hero type will ever get into the business for the adulation, at least, not that they'll admit to, but if you do something heroic, it's nice to be around after for people to appreciate you."

"Just something to think about," Isabela said, gesturing grandly around the room. "Enjoy a drink and talk with each other about whether you'd prefer to be commemorated or celebrated."