Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, Saturday, All Day

[bigdamnprincipal]

In spite of the icon Wintertime had officially reached Fandom, and the chill in the air meant it was time for a combination picnic and bonfire! There might not be shirtless greetings today (or maybe there would be, such a diverse population was bound to have different freezing points), but there was plenty of warm food and drinks for everyone to indulge in as they welcomed the newest residents and celebrated the start of a new semester!

[Flying OCD-free since it's been working well. Have at it!]

Comments

[unusual_sith]

"I'm pleased to hear it! We'll be learning together, really," Lana said. "My co-teacher knows more than I do."

She shrugged. "I coordinate a lot of them back home. I'd have to explain a lot about our politics to explain what we're doing in detail, but for the most part they give me back information about the main governments, and try to seed information to push them the way we want them to go."

[deathsmajesty]

"However did you build up this network from here?" Liliana asked, intrigued and no little impressed.

[unusual_sith]

"Oh, I built it up over a number of years back home," Lana said. "With friends and some prebuilt connections. These days I manage most of it over comms - like phones, but with holographic video - and computer. I go back home when I need to do something in person, and time at the moment seems to be consistent in running faster here than there, which helps."

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh," Liliana said. "That is convenient." She grimaced slightly. "I don't have much experience with time dilation, but there have been a few horrific wars where our enemy used their faster dilation to devastating effect."

Surely, however, such a thing would never be used against Liliana, the narrative says while staring at a camera.

[unusual_sith]

"I've thought of doing that, too," Lana admitted, "but with Fandom's portals, it's not really feasible at the sort of scale we'd need. It does make for very good strategizing, though.

"I'm getting away from things, though. I don't imagine you need much of an introduction to the island, but do you have any questions about the school or teaching? I wish I could take your class, but the mun had to decide, and Arthur was funnier I've got a standing check-in that morning."

[deathsmajesty]

Making choices based on hilarity was valid!

"I understand completely," Liliana assured her. "And I'm almost certainly going to end up teaching it again, or something close to it another time. I suppose...hmm." She considered it. "What has your experience with teaching been like? Are you frequently in close contact with the Dean about the curriculum? I have never taught before, so I only have my experiences as a prefect in college to guide me."

[unusual_sith]

"Mostly the students here are good about wanting to learn, or at least being unobtrusive," Lana observed. She scoffed. "The Dean is not a fan of mine. He's a Jedi of a particularly stiff neck. Luckily, I have little contact with him. He's certainly never dictated anything about how I teach."

[deathsmajesty]

"Which was a pity, as his son seemed quite charming," Liliana said, shaking her head slightly. "It does seem as if the school is very...flexible...about its pedological standards."

She was looking at Beaker, yes.

[unusual_sith]

"I don't think I've met his son," Lana said. She followed Liliana's line of sight. "Yes, well. I have no idea how that one gets away with half the things he does, but they are amusing. And I don't think the school cares much about pedagogy, no. I haven't got anything like an Earth degree, and I don't think most of the instructors do. Still, at least there's a lot less death among the students here; there's something to be said for that."

[deathsmajesty]

"Luke," Liliana said. "His name was Luke. We met at Three Minute Dates - a charming young man, about to open a school of his own for young Jedi."

Probably would be fine. No foreseeable downsides there.

But now she was shooting Lana a concerned look. "How much death is a normal amount?" she checked.

Strixhaven had been zero!

[unusual_sith]

"The Sith Academy on Korriban had around a sixty percent mortality rate for students in their first few years," Lana said. "Of my group, only myself and one other succeeded, which is two more than our overseer expected to survive."

[deathsmajesty]

"...That's just terribly wasteful and sounds like a sign of incredibly poor teaching," Liliana objected.

[unusual_sith]

"I've been saying that for years!" Lana said. "Honestly, even if those people wouldn't make good Sith, it doesn't mean they couldn't do other work; you're stabbing yourself in the foot with that attitude."

She shook her head. "But you see what I'm coming from. The death rate here, so far as I'm aware, is zero. Much more sensible, if a bit unbelievable with all this island goes through."

[deathsmajesty]

"Do they routinely also set all their resources on fire when they think they have too much?" Liliana asked, rolling her eyes. "That just sounds like a lack of imagination, honestly. If the best plan you can come up with is 'kill the extraneous ones,' then you're not only short-sighted, you're also terminally boring."

[unusual_sith]

Lana grinned. "Well, there are never enough resources to go around, but I wouldn't put it past some of them. It's probably the biggest weakness in the Sith philosophy - too many take the pursuit of strength to an extreme, and don't recognize different forms of it. When you're at war, it can be tempting to try and churn out as many hard-hitting weapons as you can, but if you forget about food, nobody's winning anywhere."

[deathsmajesty]

"Not to mention information, the importance of the subtle knife...hitting hard in the face is only one facet of battle." Liliana groaned and massaged her temples. "It baffles me how short-sighted so many people can be."

[unusual_sith]

"Please feel free to come and tell my galaxy about that," Lana said wryly. "That sort of thing is largely what my spies are trying to encourage. The current leaders of the major governments are light years ahead of their predecessors, but there couldn't possibly be a lower bar, so it's not saying much. If we can get them to focus on something other than punching each other in the metaphorical faces, it'll be quite an achievement."

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh darling, don't invite me to things you have no intention on actually following through on," Liliana said with a laugh. "I simply adore telling people that they're wrong and fools to boot. At least the first time. Amusement palls on reiteration."

[unusual_sith]

"Oh, not at all!" Lana grinned. "I rather think you'd get on with Empress Acina; she has very little tolerance for idiots and is mostly a practical woman. I have less experience with Chancellor Rans."

[deathsmajesty]

"Friends with an empress, are we?" Liliana asked. "However did you manage that, darling?"

[unusual_sith]

"More colleagues than friends," Lana said. "And we helped destroy her predecessor and save the galaxy, including the Empire."

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh, well, is that all?" Liliana teased. "Lana, I do believe you are a do-gooder at heart."

Never even once, thank you. Not for Lilianas.

[unusual_sith]

"Ugh, don't even suggest it!" Lana shook her head. She was well aware she had a tendency to want the best for everyone, but she refused to be a "do-gooder".

[deathsmajesty]

"Darling, you just admitted to saving the galaxy," Liliana pointed out with a laugh. "And now you're rubbing elbows with the Empress to try to improve the lot for everybody. What would you call it?"

[unusual_sith]

"Trying to improve my own life," Lana said. "I do live in the galaxy, after all. Having all life in it destroyed would have included me."