Fandom High School

Class was in the Danger Shop, which, naturally, was set up to look like the front of the school.

"Firstly, I hope you all had a brilliant weekend." No, neither Isabela or Aphra would be commenting on their absence last week. "I know I found it very inspiring."

Then, before Isabela could elaborate on that, with an almighty roar a massive, fluffy dragon landed on the lawn.

"Huh." Aphra frowned and poked at the controls. "I thought that was supposed to be gelatine. Oh, well, works anyway. Enjoy your final, kids!"

Today, the class were meeting down at the docks, Isabela looking in her element as she stood at the top of the Siren's Call's gangplank.

"We're going to have an adventure today," she declared once everyone had filed up onto the deck, looking very pleased with herself. "Because the sea is the perfect metaphor for this class, full of both danger and opportunity." And people of questionable skill.

Aphra, conversely, was looking somewhat sceptical, because being on a vehicle with absolutely no mechanical parts was wigging her out. "We're just going out on a quick trip out around the Isle of Ikea," she said, an extremely fake grin plastered on her face. "No problem!"

Isabela gleefully bounded over to the steering wheel and pointed to a random student. "You hoist the anchor! You raise the main-sail!"

Of course she wasn't going to explain how, it wouldn't be half as educational if she did that.

Today class was in the Danger Shop. The movie theatre simulation to be precise. Which meant that anyone who'd taken any class ever with Aphra knew what that meant.

"Today it's all about perspective," Isabela told them. "Although really, all of this class is all about perspective and how you look at things."

"Everyone is the hero of their own story," Aphra added. "Which means that no matter they claim to think about right and wrong, it's different when they do it. Often it involves a knife in someone's back." Not that Aphra knew any one who tended to justify putting knives in backs, of course.

"All this means is that whether something is a glorious rise or a terrible fall, is all about whose story you're following. Something to think about while you're watching this."

Not that Isabela would thinking about that. Not when she had friend fiction to write.

Hope you were all here nice and early kids (and Margo)! Because your teachers weren't. Instead showing up fashionably late and somewhat rumpled. It was entirely possible that was because they stayed up late planning class and the time got away from them, but that extremely noble excuse wouldn't explain the hickeys.

"Hello everyone," Isabela greeted them all enthusiastically. "I'm Isabela, Captain Isabela if you want to be formal or just like big boats, which I'm sure you all do."

Aphra stifled a yawn behind one hand. "Doctor Aphra, my reputation precedes me. Unless you're new." In which case she didn't care. "Anyway this is 'Disaster! Or Opportunity, Actually?' a class all about discovering that success and failure are all matters of perspective." As taught by two bonafide disasters.

"But first there's that old Fandom tradition of slacking off during the first class with introductions." Isabela, saying the quiet part out loud. "I mean you barely have to do anything with that."

Anyone under the tragically mistaken impression that Isabela was going to be a good influence here was by now probably realising that she wasn't.

Oh, no, did that mean Aphra was going to have to be the responsible one? This was not part of the plan. "What the good Captain means is that all that stuff you've been told about first impressions and how you don't get second chances at making them, it's bantha poodoo," she said. "Mostly because you don't even really get to make that first one. Because people like to judge, even when they tell themselves they don't. They'll take what little they know about you and yours and make up their minds before you even open your mouth."

"Which just makes it all the more satisfying when you prove them wrong." By showing that sterotypes and quick judgement were misguided and wrong. "By stealing their stuff, usually. Sometimes stabbing's involved." Isabela, you were a pirate who often openly carried around multiple large daggers, what first impressions exactly were you proving wrong by doing that?

"Shooting is also an option." Aphra, you were making it worse. "In any case, let's hear it. Name, class if you're a student, some outrageous lie about yourself. Because sincerity is for chumps!"