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

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!event: welcome picnic

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

So, it wasn't Fall yet by a long shot. The temperatures were still high, the leaves were still green, and the calendar still said August. But the calendar of consumerism didn't care about reality and thus, the welcome picnic was decorated for fall. The tables were covered in reds, oranges, and yellows, there was apple cider in the punch bowls and, of course, if the food on the table could come in pumpkin spice form, it was here in pumpkin spice form.

Enjoy your basic seasonal welcome picnic, everyone!

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"I am Ghanima Atreides, your faculty mentor," Ghanima said warmly, offering him a handshake.

"And this fine fellow," she bounced the child on her hip, "--is my son and co-teacher, Trebor."

Trebor giggled out a 'hi,' and Ghanima gave him a fond smile before turning her attention back to Erasmus. "We welcome you to Fandom University, Mr. Boone."

The baby was her co-teacher. Right. Well, maybe he was! Erasmus apparently knew nothing.

"Thank you," Erasmus said. "I'm glad to be--oh, uh, are you sure?" he asked when he noticed her outstretched hand.

"Do you have a power where you kill upon skin contact? Or automatically causes you to read minds? I know we've had students with both conditions," Ghanima asked curiously. "If so, don't fret, we can head into town quickly to get you some gloves, so that you can participate in the picnic without concern."

"I know some students arrive here with little notice and no personal belongings, and we can remedy the situation if that is the case."

"Uh, no," Erasmus told her. "I mean, no, neither of those, wow, and I did know I was coming here. I'm just a necromancer...?"

Ah, this one was going to need a little extra reassurance.

"Have I made a cultural faux-pas and offended you by suggesting you touch living flesh?" Ghanima checked, "If so, I apologize."

"But you should know that I am most likely not from your universe, as mine lacks both magical and scientific necromancy, unless you count cloning."

"In fact, the odds of you finding someone else from your world here is low, unless you are familiar with Jedi," she continued with a faint smile. "Fandom Island is a reality nexus, Mr. Boone. Whether by chance or destiny, we have all found our way here to a place suspended in the in-betweens and everywhere at once."

"It's an interesting sort of freedom, and an excellent educational opportunity."

Cloning, Erasmus mouthed, and then explained, "Where I'm from, most people don't want to touch a necromancer. Also, uh, what's a Jedi?"

Edited 2025-08-30 18:31 (UTC)

"A religious order that recruits people with a particular ability to touch the living Force of their universe," Ghanima replied. "You'll meet one eventually, we have a few teaching and living here, and new ones tend to turn-up like the tides."

"It may interest you to know there is no prohibition against necromancy here, so long as you are acting in an ethical manner. In fact, one of our faculty members, Mistress Vess, is an extremely accomplished necromancer."

Right, okay, cult, got it.

"I didn't say there was a prohibition against it," Erasmus said. He said most people didn't like them. Those were two totally different things. "But that's good to know. Is, uh, Mistress Vess around?" Transgender necromancer. There was something else he'd never seen before. "I don't get the chance to meet very many other necromancers." Or...any, really.

Did she say cult? She absolutely had not said 'cult'!

(She just thought it regularly.)

"I have not seen her today, but you can find her at the school on Thursdays when she teaches," she suggested. "I believe this semester her class is on surviving zombies."

"Why would anyone need a class on surviving zombies?" Erasmus, who had not yet seen his schedule, asked. "They're always under the control of the priestess that raised them."

"Not always," Ghanima replied dryly. "The fundamental rules of necromancy that you have internalized do not apply across all realities, and do not apply here."

Her face turned serious. "Personally, I have survived one zombie invasion during my tenure; one that decimated a good portion of the student population. While we were able to reverse it and return the affected people to their living state, it was horrific."

"Infinite realities, with infinite variations on what is possible, all meet here. You'll have days where you wake up a child, or another gender, or discover that your potential future children have come to visit. There are times when all the water in the pipes has turned into hot coco, or the weather will rain feathers." The smile returned to Ghanima's face, and she dropped a kiss on Trebor's head. "Anything and everything is possible on Fandom Island, and that makes it worth it."

That was a lot of magic.

"I'm gonna need more charms," Erasmus concluded.

"We have a few magic stores in town, if you need supplies," Ghanima offered. "The Infinite Consortium -- owned by Mistress Vess -- and The Magic Box."

"It's my understanding the school librarian is also a sorcerer, if there's something in particular you're looking for." She shifted Trebor to her other hip. "The library may also be a good place to start to learn more about the school."

"Ah, and the island has a radio station." Her eyes searched the trees. "You will laugh, but the reporters are actual squirrels and you'll hear all about everyone's business if you tune in to the broadcasts."

"Oh, I--I won't be needing any of those, but thank you." He would be having a Conversation with his father after this picnic concluded, was what he would be doing, which would result in Nikodemus overnighting him a fresh hoard of charms.

"Okay, but what's the deal with the squirrels? Why do they report the news?" There had to be a reason. "Are they enchanted in some way?"

"They're not enchanted that I am aware of, but I am from a reality where we have no magic," Ghanima admitted. "They're simply ridiculously smart, and very nosy."

"The island itself also shows some mild signs of awareness or sentience, and I am unclear if that is magic or evolution."

"The island...itself," Erasmus repeated. "Wow. Okay. Um. I don't think islands can evolve. They're sort of...geological?"

If this island was made out of something other than rock Erasmus was leaving right now.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Erasmus Boone, are dreamt of in your philosophy," Ghanima quoted. "I've been told rather reliably that there is a universe out there that is nothing but shrimp. The concept of silicon-based life is not half as outlandish, if you think about it."

"If you say so," Erasmus said, still somewhat dubious.

New plan. He was gonna call his Momma and tell her that his Pops had withheld some key information about this school, and then let her yell at Nikodemus. Yes. That would work better.

Edited 2025-08-31 00:41 (UTC)

Ah, the dubiousness of a new arrival!

"And if I said that both Trebor and I are aliens from the future?" Ghanima asked gently. "Earth is a distant memory where we are from, a planet whose name was long-forgotten as we fought for our lives and spread out among the stars."

"If I have one piece of advice for you to enjoy your time here, Mr. Boone, it is to embrace the unknown and unexpected. Don't try to hold too hard on to the way things 'are' or 'should be.'"

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

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