Professor Wright
June 21, 2019 2:49 PM
Welcome to Orientation, New Students! by Professor Wright
The older students were possibly slightly surprised to see Professor Grayson Wright outside waiting to direct the first years and remind everyone that the prairie elves would take their baggage up to the dorms, but perhaps less surprised than they might have been two years earlier. He had, after all, done orientation one time before, which was why it had not surprised him that he had been the first choice to do it again when Professor Nathan Xavier was in a position where he could not do so as usual.To those – the first years and any transfer students – who did not know him, nothing about his appearance was the sort of thing to inspire surprise, or even much notice. He was of average height, with dark hair and eyes, and a face so devoid of distinctive features that it was quite possible the new students might primarily identify him as That Professor With The Glasses for a while, as he required the glasses just to get around the school without bumping into things and thus was not seen without them on occasions when he was conscious.
He also talked with his hands a lot, though this was less apparent than usual because he was busy using his hands to point the first years in the right direction as he separated them out of the students he recognized. Said direction was into one of the clearings in the Labyrinth Gardens, where a running fountain stood in the center and there were three tables off to one side, away from the roped-off entrances to other paths. On the first table was a number of folders, each the same forest green color as the students’ robes. These contained class schedules, school maps, and lists of the major school rules students would be expected to follow. On the next table was a variety of snacks – sandwiches, fruits and vegetables, cupcakes, cookies, and various other finger foods – and small plates to eat these on. On the third were small glasses and a selection of water, fruit juices, and fruit punch.
Once everyone seemed to be in or heading in the right direction, Professor Wright left the wagons in the elves’ capable hands and went to face down possibly the most daunting task he’d had since his first lesson: addressing the first years.
“Hello everyone – gather round, please, I don’t want to shout.” Or amplify his voice magically, as that would have been a bit much in such a small space with so few people to address. “Hello, good afternoon. I’m Professor Wright, and starting tomorrow, I’ll be your Charms teacher. Right now, though, I’m your Orientation leader, so – welcome to Sonora Academy.”
To some, it no doubt sounded like he was speaking slowly. This was because he was making an effort to speak reasonably slowly. Sonora had had quite the influx of students who did not consider English as their first language in recent years – in just the past few years, they had had Quebecois French, Russian, and German, with the Quebecois student also speaking Chinese. Even a name which looked like one thing might correlate to a student with a totally different set of language skills, so it was best not to assume too much.
“Sonora is a seven-year school where you will, if you stay with us all those years, gain a thorough education in magical theory and practice. You’ll start out, for your first year, with seven classes – Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, and flying lessons. You can drop flying lessons in your second year, and begin electives in your third year, if you want. In your fifth year, you’ll take your first set of major exams, the Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills, or CATS. After that, you may select classes to focus on, though you’ll need at least two to graduate and three if you want to pursue your education further after you leave Sonora.”
He thought that was enough terrifying exam talk for the limited attention spans of eleven-year-olds for now. “We know that you all come from different educational backgrounds now,” he said, because this was true. Some might have gone to Muggle elementary schools while others might have had specialized tutors for each subject while others might have had…more unorthodox training. Most fell somewhere on a continuum between the extremes of unschooling and specialized tutors for each subject. “Your professors all have office hours when we can give you extra help in our subjects if you need it, and Professor Skies, our Deputy Headmistress and your Transfiguration teacher, runs special sessions for anyone who needs help with reading and writing English more fluently, or with basic maths. You can see times for those in the schedules in your green folders – everyone get one of those if you don’t have one yet.
“Outside of classes, you’ll have some choice in how you spend your time. We have a variety of clubs and sports here, and you’ll see notices about meetings posted around the schools when the students who organize them are ready to start up for the year. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m, lunch is from 11:00 to one, and supper is five till seven, but you can find snacks and drinks there between those times as well. Curfew is at ten p.m., and at that time, you’ll need to be inside your Houses – which are part of the main building, don’t worry. They’re four groups of rooms, and tonight, at the Welcoming Feast, you’ll be Sorted into one of them by dipping the blank badges you have now into a cauldron. If your badge turns blue, you’re an Aladren – the House that values learning and problem-solving.” He might have sounded a little proud there; he was a former Aladren as well as Head of the House. “If it turns red, you belong in Crotalus, the House for people who like to be well-prepared for everything. Yellow means you’re in Teppenpaw, the House for our diplomats – and a House which has done very well in the House Cup recently,” he added, lest Teppenpaw sound lame to them. “Finally, if your badge turns brown, that means you’re a Pecari, the House for people who always land on their feet and are always willing to take a chance. All the Houses have other traits, though, so don’t worry if you don’t think any of those things sounds exactly like you – there’s a place for everyone here at Sonora.
“Your House will have prefects, who are older students, and a Head, who is a staff member – I’m the Head of Aladren, for instance. They’ll all look after you while you’re here. Your House can earn points based on things you do – excelling in class or in sports, or showing responsibility, or somehow helping the school community and showing leadership. The House with the most points at the end of the year earns the House Cup, and sometimes other privileges – Teppenpaw House has hosted the Cup for a good while now, but last year, Crotalus came within one point, so it's anyone's game and I encourage you all to do your best to help your Houses give the Prairie Dogs some competition.” He decided, regretfully, that it would not be diplomatic to not-entirely-joke about how those of them who were Sorted into Aladren should try extra hard.
“If no-one has any questions about all of that, you can mingle and get to know your classmates for a while and have some snacks until we begin our tour of the mansion. If you do have any questions, feel free to come see me – and welcome again to Sonora.”
OOC (Out of Character) Note:
Welcome first years to Sonora! You can post a reply here to ask staff questions or meet your new classmates. This thread is intended for first year students to have a chance to try out posting and get acclimated to the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming.
Please remember that anything that happened in the Sandbox was just practice and did not actually occur. (You are welcome, of course, to use any background information you generated about your character during these exercises such as pets, accidental magic, etc, but they have not yet spent any time at Sonora or interacted with any classmates.)
If you enter your email address when you reply, you will be notified when someone responds to your post. This is optional but can be useful for helping you keep track of posts. Please do NOT check the box that says 'show email address,' as this will make it public and may result in spam.
Now, go forth, new first years of Sonora! Post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone here is happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC board or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can. Have fun and we’re glad you could join us!
[Credit to Nathan Xavier's author for the content of this OOC notice]
Subthreads: That's me! I'm new, and a student! by Anya Delachene with Emily Lewis
Call me Freddie. by Friederike Albert Zauberhexen with Ellie Alperton
Hi and stuff. [Tag Dathan] by Jezebel Reed-Fischer with Dathan Fischer
Um, hello by Nicolas DiCaprio
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Professor Wright
Welcome to Orientation, New Students!
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Professor Wright
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Jezebel Reed-Fischer
June 22, 2019 10:19 PM
Hi and stuff. [Tag Dathan] by Jezebel Reed-Fischer
The teacher talked slowly, and Jezebel was very glad for that. She was hardly able to focus on anything with her mind still squirming under the realisation that she was probably not crazy and that this was really happening. She wasn't sure whether she felt more excited or guilty about being magical, but there wasn't much to do about that now. She'd either learn to love it through schooling, or she'd learn to control it and stamp it out; it was a win-win and Sonora was going to have to become home if it was going to work out. As such, she'd made it her goal to learn everything she could about the school and become as comfortable here as possible. She thought it was a bit like when older students took off for college or university; find your favorite spot in the library, your favorite shady tree, and your favorite place to get coffee.In this case, Jezebel instead brought a little bit of home with her. Although she had never been close to her cousin-- related on their dad's side through grandparents they hadn't met-- the entire Fischer clan was pretty close as a whole. Of course, with most of them living in the same area of Kansas, it was hard not to be close. Still, he seemed like her saving grace now.
After grabbing her orientation packet, Jezebel joined her cousin. She still felt a bit like they were wearing hospital gowns or something, but they weren't all that bad. She felt a little better seeing that Dathan didn't look too silly in his, and she probably didn't look too bad in hers then either. She'd pulled out her necklace-- a carved wooden cross on a chain of wooden beads-- so that it hung over her chest on the outside of her robes, and that with her sandals made her feel a little bit more like she was a person and not an emerald green sack of potatoes.
"Hi," she said plainly, her dark eyes searching his face. "How are you doing?"
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Jezebel Reed-Fischer
Hi and stuff. [Tag Dathan]
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Dathan Fischer
July 07, 2019 11:05 PM
Hi and stuff. by Dathan Fischer
Dathan's eyes were looking around at the other students more than they were fixed on the speaker. By the looks of it, most of them were looking a bit overwhelmed which made him relax a bit. At least he wasn't the only one. Even though he was speaking clearly and slowly it still felt like a foreign language as the teacher went over their class listings. However, the last thing Dathan felt was sad that he was leaving his old curriculum behind.When Jezebel joined him after the welcome orientation speech he relaxed some. He really couldn't imagine what his first day would be like if he was here alone trying to figure everything out.
"I'm... okay." He settled on the word after a moment. Definitely appropriate and between good and bad. He looked down his robes at his feet and rocked on his heels some nervously. "This place is..." he trailed off looking around at the building around them and sighed. "Huge." Not at all like the small house that he grew up in and left behind when he came here. He looked back to Jezebel and offered a weak smile. "How about you?"
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Dathan Fischer
Hi and stuff.
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Dathan Fischer
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
July 08, 2019 2:01 AM
I'm glad I'm not alone. by Jezebel Fischer-Reed
Jezebel smiled. Dathan had always been sweet but his small talk was a good reminder that she wasn't the only one scared here. She spent most of her time trying to plan how she was going to get through the next twenty years, become the first female president, take over the world, and save all the iguanas of the world who didn't have homes, but sometimes it was nice to just be a kid. She wasn't sure what that meant for magical kids, though."Okay is a good word," she decided, smiling a little at her cousin. "It really is huge. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."
She tried to think if that was true or not before relaxing that this was the first magical place she'd been. Her own home was technically magical maybe? But that didn't count. This place made magic normal and her friends at school would've been the odd ones here instead of just her. Even just looking around their small group, percentage-wise, she wasn't that off here either.
"But then, I've never been in a castle thing, or in a magical school. So that makes sense. How'd your parents do dropping you off?"
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
I'm glad I'm not alone.
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Dathan Fischer
July 09, 2019 3:58 PM
Re: I'm glad I'm not alone. by Dathan Fischer
Dathan nodded at her response and focused again on her instead of the overwhelming world that was around him. He really did think he would be fine here... eventually. And it said something that he had some first day jitters. His other school never made him feel anything like that. He realized he wanted to be successful here. If possible."They got me here," he started and immediately felt bad. That was too harsh and unfair. "Mom was great," he said trying again. "Dad came. He's been. weird with everything. I'm surprised that he even did that. But I'm glad." At eleven years old he never thought he would have to figure out how to repair a relationship with his father. Now when he was so close to him. To both of his parents. His dad had been a bit of a stranger since his acceptance letter. It was impossible to hide the sadness in his eyes as he told Jezebel, "he barely spoke to me today. It was really hard saying goodbye," and if it had been anyone else he wouldn't have offered the information out.
He had decided already that he would give this place a chance. There was no way that he couldn't do that. But if he hated it he wondered if Jez would hate him if he asked to leave. It wasn't that he was homesick. And it wasn't even that his dad looked at him differently. It's that he was barely able to make eye contact with him at all. And he hated himself a little for that.
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Dathan Fischer
Re: I'm glad I'm not alone.
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Dathan Fischer
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
July 09, 2019 4:48 PM
Well, so we are a little alone. by Jezebel Fischer-Reed
Jezebel grimaced, feeling guilty. Her dad and Dathan's were brothers, so it stood to reason that they'd have more similar reactions to what was going on with their children. However, Jezebl's dad was much more accepting, even excited. He had a love and fascination with the unusual or exotic, part of how he'd met Jezebel's mom, and he couldn't be upset or surprised that his first little girl was true to form that way. Her mother was much less excited and had spent a lot of time praying over Jezebel, clutching her rosary with white knuckles, and visiting their priest. She'd done well about keeping the family's secret, so the priest probably thought she was just an insane woman with paranoia problems, but still."Yeah, Mom and Dad were... There. Marcus isn't talking to me," she told him, trying not to imagine the expression on her older brother's face when she'd said goodbye. Patience was too young to understand and Augustine was just hoping he'd get to be magical too. Of course, that might not last if their mom had anything to say about it. "I'm glad you're here," she added, a little shy to admit it. "Guess it's you and me now."
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
Well, so we are a little alone.
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
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Dathan Fischer
July 13, 2019 10:48 PM
We'll be okay. by Dathan Fischer
“Marcus will get over it,” he said with a chuckle trying to lighten the mood. He gave a single nod and put his best brave face on. “It is, Jez... you and me. We’ll be okay,” He promised her making sure to catch her eyes so she knew he was serious. He had said the same thing to his dad before his parents left him. I’ll be okay. His dad had given him a weak smile and tousled his hair some and Dathan had to wonder… would his dad be okay? It would just be him and his mom at home together now. He was an only child. Unlike Jezebel, who had siblings that would fill the house with love and laughter, his would be empty.He shook his head some trying to get the thought out. “Can you believe the class list? Defense against the dark arts… flying lessons? It’s all so hard to believe, don’t you think?” He flipped through his packet orientation packet noting what was in there as he took a few steps toward the table with the food leaving Jezebel to follow. He picked up an apple and rubbed it on his chest, taking a bite out of it as he glanced over the paper with the school rules.
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Dathan Fischer
We'll be okay.
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Dathan Fischer
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
July 14, 2019 12:57 AM
We will be something. by Jezebel Fischer-Reed
Jezebel nodded, unconvinced on the subject of her brother. She wasn't sure whether it was jealousy or heresy that had stunted their relationship, and she wasn't sure whether she hoped that time apart would be good for them or not. What did it mean if he was better off with her away? If they all were?"Thanks," she smiled, glad to have someone at least a little more willing to believe that than she was. He'd always been nicer than she was, but she'd never been so lucky to benefit from it like this.
She followed him to the table of food, taking a cup of juice and a small sandwich. She wasn't sure she could stomach more than that and hated apples. "It sounds fake," she agreed. "Like we've stepped into a video game or something. Also, does that mean there are dark arts if we have to defend ourselves? That doesn't sound good."
She grimaced a little and stood up on her tip toes a little to see what he was reading. They were about the same height (Jezebel maybe had a little advantage there) but it felt weird to lean over him. She took a bite of her sandwich.
"We won't be able to go into each other's rooms," she said, pointing out a paragraph about boys and girls, and houses as a whole. "Will you still hang out with me?"
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
We will be something.
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Jezebel Fischer-Reed
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