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fandomhigh2011-04-30 02:29 am
prof_of_cunning) wrote in fandomhigh2011-04-30 02:29 am
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Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2011, Saturday Early Evening - Part One!
The ceremony was once again held at sunset for the benefit of the graduates’ less diurnal guests, but the lawn was well-lit with twinkling blue and gold lights draped across bleachers, stage, surrounding trees and specially-assembled trellises, giving the overall effect of a peaceful fairy grove. (Not, say, Las Vegas. Tasteful twinkling lights.)
The staff having taken note of every previous graduation including the most recent, the lights had been purchased from Acme Decorations Studio with a money-back No Coming To Life And Terrorizing Your Party Guests Guarantee... and there was a rather large cache of weapons stashed in a trunk behind the podium. The chance that it would rain toys that could later be used for self-defense was slightly less than the chance that there would be a need for self-defense.
No one could say Fandom High wasn’t a learning experience.
[Open and welcome Class of 2011! Welcome | The Procession | Speeches | Diplomas | OOC]
The staff having taken note of every previous graduation including the most recent, the lights had been purchased from Acme Decorations Studio with a money-back No Coming To Life And Terrorizing Your Party Guests Guarantee... and there was a rather large cache of weapons stashed in a trunk behind the podium. The chance that it would rain toys that could later be used for self-defense was slightly less than the chance that there would be a need for self-defense.
No one could say Fandom High wasn’t a learning experience.
[Open and welcome Class of 2011! Welcome | The Procession | Speeches | Diplomas | OOC]
Speeches!
Very hard.
Vice Principal Deadpool's Speech
Dean Stinson's Speech
Re: Dean Stinson's Speech
"Are you ready, Class of 2011?" Barney asked, looking over the graduates with a sharp eye. "Because it starts now. You know the part I'm talking about. And not whatever horror awaits you with el presidente's speech, though I am told it will be legendary and likely to lead to some panty tossing. Sorry grandma! No, I'm talking about real life. The boring stuff with filing and flipping burgers and whatever else high school graduates are capable of doing these days. Just remember, you made it through plagues, labyrinths, and freaking godzilla, you can overcome the boredom that is life. And if not, then by God, suit the hell up and spend a weekend on our fair island - a quick aside, I hear the Arms Hotel offers great rates for alumni and Krispy Kreme just doesn't compare to the wonders of Jeff, God of Biscuits, people- and we're sure to show you a good time!" The Dean raised his arms in the air to cue their thunderous applause as it was required.
Principal Winchester's Speech
Re: Principal Winchester's Speech
"Now, I'd like to give the microphone to some very exceptional students. We have two salutatorians among the class of 2011, Blackagar Boltagon and Jennifer Sparks, and we have two valedictorians as well, Emma Frost and Kennedy {microphone feedback}. We'll be hearing from both of them, and from our Student Council president, Alex Karev."
Now, she could sit down and relax. As much as she could ever relax at these things.
Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
"If there is one good thing my family has taught me before I came to Fandom, it is this; that there is never a reason to do less than excel to your highest potential."
"Through blizzards, invasions, and personal dramas, we were encouraged to keep our heads high and our minds focused, that education of the self was just as important as the heroic deeds so many students itched to accomplish, and that no one person can ever operate as an island - not even Fandom Island itself - and that each of us has strengths and skills that we had no idea we possessed but that none of us can do everything."
"And this is our place of learning. I took psionics alongside home economics, and applied myself to each one diligently, despite having slightly more interest in one that the other for personal reasons. Leaning not just about your gifts, but about the world, and all the worlds out there. That control of your abilities, your powers, and the safety of those around you, is of paramount importance. Not just because it is the 'right' thing to do-" and anyone who knew Emma would hear the extremely sarcastic airquotes around that. Actually, anyone in the audience would probably catch it, even if they didn't know her. "-but because we can. We have the ability to change worlds, and to ignore that would be to reject the education that Headmistress Winchester and the rest of the staff have imparted to us."
"I have seen monsters I never dreamed were real, and made friends who can dance on air. I have been abducted, transported, and transformed. And through it all, between the madness of Peep rain and vampires, I discovered something about myself. I already knew that pressure just made me dig in and work ten times harder. I did not know that it would make me shine like diamonds." Literally, in her case.
Emma tilted her head and gave that beautiful, beaming smile that could light up a room. "My classmates might say that I have been uncompromising, peppery, intractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile, and ofttimes disagreeable. They'd be right. But like Bette Davis said, that makes me larger than life. None of us are mediocre or modest, unless we let ourselves slip down that path to obscurity and forget everything we've learned here."
"We've all had our share of persecution and problems, but we're fighters. We're strong. And now it's our turn."
"The world is watching, class of 2011. And so we must be astonishing."
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
Besides a quirk of the eyebrow that briefly shifted her strong features, that is.
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
There was the lightest telepathic brush against Kerrigan's shields, warm and affectionate. << Thank you. >>
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
"Shine on, you crazy diamond," Rose yelled, clapping for the speech.
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Emma Frost
Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
"Hey," she spoke up once she got to the microphone. "So... graduation. You know, there's about two dozen teachers from my old schools falling over from shock right now 'cause I'm up here? I was never really big into the academics thing. Anywhere not here, I would so not be doing this right now. But that's the thing about Fandom. Conventional? Really not a thing we do here."
She took a breath and fished her iPhone out of her robe to actually pull up the notes she'd written down for this, pausing for a few moments while she flipped through apps to find the file. (It wasn't a speech, exactly; it was just notes. She'd be winging this for the most part.)
"So let me explain a little bit about me first-- yeah, I know, but hang on, it's actually relevant." She glanced out into the audience to find Constance and grinned affectionately. "Ever since I was six, I've been going around knowing there's this... thing about me that makes me different. Not special exactly, just different... but there was a chance, a really, really remote one, that I could be special. Until then I was just waiting around to find out if I might win that lottery, except for the part where I had to train a lot to be ready in case I did. Thing is, I knew right from the first day that yeah, the thing I might get to do was the one thing I really wanted to do with my life. And I wanted to do it, you know? I never did get why I wasn't allowed. But then I came here."
She glanced up at the castle, back at her fellow graduates, then out to the students in the audience and smiled. This wasn't a smug smile, or a cocky smirk; this was as genuine and warm a smile as she ever gave anyone. "And nobody here was going to stop me from finally getting to do something with all that stuff I'd been learning. And you know what? It. Was. Awesome. Which leads into my point here. It's not about being told what you might be, 'cause what you are now isn't quite strong enough or powered enough or smart enough, or whatever, to get the job done. It's about doing it anyway, 'cause you know it's right, or 'cause you just... have to do it because you won't know what to do with yourself if you don't. And once you do, you know everything's different. Like, you can't go back to the way you were before. Or at least, I know I can't. Being told you have the potential for something is one thing; realizing you're actually capable of it whether you get the extra-special bonus prize or not is a whole new level. I know that's how it worked for me here, and I'm pretty sure that's how it worked for a lot of these guys up here with me. You know, somehow or other."
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
"'Cause the crazy thing about Fandom... it's not a normal place. If you're gonna go looking for this school on a list of places where students got accepted to their first college choice, I hope you set aside a lot of time to look. But we-- by which I mean all of us-- go through a lot of stuff in our time here. Maybe it won't always be something that looks good on transcripts but I think all of us, at least once, ran into something here on this island, or maybe in one of our friends' home worlds, or both, that made us ask questions about ourselves. And learn something in the process." As she spoke, she scanned the audience and the gathered graduates, trying to meet certain people's eyes
if they were there: Tara, Raven, Sookie, Bobby, Karla, Maladicta, Dru, Wesley... "That we're stronger than we thought we were, or that we were wrong about something our whole lives up until now, or... it's a pretty long list. Point being, we've all learned things in Fandom that we maybe wouldn't have ever learned anywhere else... or maybe not until years later. That's why this place is so special. Not to speak for everyone, but for me? I wouldn't trade any of this for anything."She swallowed-- not choked up, not choked up, really, it was just a lot of talking-- and concluded, "So to my fellow seniors? You guys, we kicked ass, and we made it. To the rest of you guys? I know you will too, 'cause that's just what we do here. Fandom? You were totally worth all the risk. That's-- um, that's all I've got."
Okay, so it had sputtered at the end there, but this had stretched her oratory skills far too much as it was; Kennedy hoped the jaunty little salute she tossed off to the crowd before she went back to her seat made up for that a bit.
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
She was blushing when she sat back down, but it wasn't every day your girlfriend got to be valedictorian. It deserved something special.
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
Re: Valedictorian's Speech - Kennedy {microphone feedback}
Student Council President's Speech - Alex Karev
Re: Student Council President's Speech - Alex Karev
"I'm not really one for speeches so I'll make this short and sweet," he started, leaning on the podium. "If you're here today, that means you survived all the weird crap that this island has thrown at you. That, to me, is more of an accomplishment than getting a diploma, getting into college, making mom and dad happy or going all the way with your boyfriend or girlfriend. You gotta survive to have a chance at all those and sometimes surviving's not always easy. Sometimes you don't even wanna survive. I've been there. I know that feeling."
He paused and shifted a bit, fingers thrumming against the solid wood of the podium in front of him. "Some of us might know where we're going after this and some of us might not. We're all going wherever we might end up with the knowledge that we are freaking survivors. People can kick our asses, make us bleed, tear us down and we're still gonna get the hell up and keep on keeping on. I don't care why you all keep getting up but make a promise to yourselves that you will keep getting up. Don't let anyone knock you down to your knees. We're all better than that. So, go out there, do your thing, kick ass, take names and keep getting up."
With that said, Alex gave the crowd a final nod and walked away from the podium.
Re: Student Council President's Speech - Alex Karev
Re: Student Council President's Speech - Alex Karev
<<Here I thought you liked me on my knees.>>
Yes, she was trying to make him crack before he got back to his seat. No one said Emma was a nice friend, just a good one.
Re: Student Council President's Speech - Alex Karev