fandomhigh | Diplomacy, December 5, 2022

"We only have two more classes together," Anakin announced as he strode into the classroom, which had been set up with linen-covered round tables and a small pile of name cards. "Today we delve into seating arrangements."

Anakin Skywalker had never in his entire life cared about seating arrangements. Not once. So this lesson should go great.

"We'll start off easy," he said, and sure, "with a group of six. The table is round so that no one feels like they are being less important than anyone else at the table, and this table would be placed in the middle of a much larger charity function. Our six guests are:

1) A male ambassador who thinks he should be at the place of honor in this room. There is no place of honor in this room.
2) A female minister who claims not to speak the language the rest of the table speaks.
3) Her female spouse, who speaks the language the rest of the table speaks and also the minister's mother tongue.
4) A male staffer who has replaced his much more important boss at this dinner at the last minute. No one will be happy to see him.
5) A male religious leader who will not approve of the female minister and her female spouse.
6) A male minor royal who will show up drunk.

"Who sits next to whom? You have fifteen minutes, and then explain your reasoning to me."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Caring deeply about seating arrangements.

Gray

Liberty Hazlett

Charlie Gale

Alara Kitan

Make them all get along! Or seat them in the way to cause maximum drama because who cares aside from the protocol officer no one likes anyway?

"Okay, so," Gray said after a few minutes of studying the situation, "we're gonna put Mr. 'I deserve the best seat' in the seat facing the door, because in the absence of a place with your back to a wall it subconsciously feels 'better' than the other seats." Manipulative, Gray? More than you'd think. "And then my problem is that I don't want anyone to have to sit next to the religious leader," he admitted.

"He's awful, isn't he?"

Anakin, don't sound so proud of yourself for concocting him.

"I guess you could put the drunk guy on one side of him? Because he's drunk so maybe he won't care as much..." Or he might say something outrageously offensive, because he was drunk.

"Or he'll have no filter and tell the guy how out of touch he is," Anakin mused. "I'm good with either outcome."

This was why Anakin was never in charge of seating charts.

"If the entire table gangs up on this guy I'm pretty much fine with that," Gray admitted, "but it seems like the best risk. I mean, other than the minor staffer, but I know nothing about him. He could also be gay." He frowned thoughtfully at the table.

"He does need two people," Anakin said. "I'd sacrifice the staffer and put him on the other side, then the minister who pretends not to speak the language."

Edited 2022-12-05 18:43 (UTC)

"I was thinking I'd stick the ambassador on the other side, because a religious leader feels 'important.'" Yes, he did air quotes. "Also, I want to seat the staffer next to the royal because in my head they're going to have a fling after this." Totally a normal reason.

After some quick arranging of place cards, Gray had, going clockwise around the table:

1) Ambassador
2) Religious leader
3) Minor royal
4) Staffer
5) Spouse
6) Minister

"Does that work?"

"I think that's very diplomatic," Anakin said, smiling.

"I say," Libby supposed, after giving it some thought herself and thinking she didn't like many of the different combinations she was coming up with, so she thought she'd try to think outside of the box a little, "we make it sort of a game and have them draw random numbers for their seats. Leave it to chance, or fate, or God.

"And you draw new seats with each course of the meal, so no one is stuck next to the same person the whole time."

Unless chance, or fate, or God hated them, anyway.

"Ambassador at 12:00, Minister at 2:00, Spouse at 4:00, Staffer at 6:00, Religious Leader at 8:00, Drunk royal at 10:00," Charlie said. "Ambassador can be told he's at the 'head' of the table, the minister and drunk royal on either side of him as even a drunk royal is still a royal and the minister is relatively important. Her spouse should be next to the minister to help her understand and/or kibbitz about how annoying this is in their own language. Staffer next to the spouse as they're both low ranking and the religious guy gets shoved into the last spot because, eh, if he doesn't approve screw him."

"I wouldn't put up with the ambassador's delusions, personally," Anakin said.

Which was why he'd been partnered with Obi-Wan: to stop him from calling them 'delusions' to the guy's face.

"Yeah, see, but the joke's on him because there's no head of the table," Charlie said with a grin.

This was why there were protocol droids in Anakin's universe. This stuff got complicated with a few billion sentients.

I also do not care about seating arrangements.

Diplomacy, December 5, 2022

Sign in 12/5

Re: Sign in 12/5

Re: Sign in 12/5

Re: Sign in 12/5

Re: Sign in 12/5

Re: Sign in 12/5

Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Re: Figure out the seating chart!

Talk to Anakin!

OOC